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THE MEASUREMENT OF ACHIEVEMENT 
IN SHORTHAND 



A dissertation submitted to the Board of 
University Studies of the Johns Hopkins 
University in conformity with the require- 
ments for the degree of Doctor of 
Philosophy 
1922 



BY 
ELMER RHODES HOKE 



BALTIMORE 

THE JOHNS HOPKINS PRESS 

1922 



THE MEASUREMENT OF ACHIEVEMENT 
IN SHORTHAND 



THE MEASUREMENT OF ACHIEVEMENT 
IN SHORTHAND 



A dissertation submitted to the Board of 
University Studies of the Johns Hopkins 
University in conformity with the require- 
ments for the degree of Doctor of 
Philosophy 
1922 



BY 
ELMER RHODES HOKE 



BALTIMORE 

THE JOHNS HOPKINS PRESS 

1922 






y 



Joiner 6 printing Company 

LEBANON, PA. 
Ill 



3 



KM 
<*3 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Chapters Page 

I. Introduction 1 

II. The Construction of a Scale for the Measure- 
ment of Ability to Read Shorthand 7 

III. The Construction of a Scale for Speed of Writ- 

ing in Shorthand 16 

IV. The Validity and Reliability of the A and B Tests 22 

V. The Construction of a Scale for Shorthand 

Penmanship 27 

VI. The Construction of a Scale for Knowledge of 

the System 40 

VII. Summary 51 

Bibliography 52 

Vita 54 

Appendix 55 

Scale for Shorthand Penmanship Opposite 86 

Scale for Knowledge of the System. . . .Opposite 118 



I. INTRODUCTION 

During the last fifteen years there has been developing 
in university schools of education and in the practice of 
leading educators in the field, what might be spoken of as a 
movement for measurement in education. Teachers and 
schools have always felt the necessity for some sort of 
measure of the results of the educational process. In the 
past we have attempted to measure school efficiency by 
means of examinations and teachers' marks. In recent years 
there has been a growing tendency on the part of 
educators to give up reliance upon examinations and teachers' 
marks, and to depend instead upon the results secured by 
the use of certain tests and scales that have been scientifically 
constructed. 

There are several types of evidence that teachers' marks 
have been inaccurate. Probably no one who has had several 
years or more of schooling will have any difficulty in calling 
to mind teachers who were known as "hard" or "easy" 
markers. We know full well that an examination paper in 
geometry marked 95 by one teacher, might be marked 65 
by another. In fact, such a paper was, for the sake of the 
experiment, graded by 116 different teachers. One-third 
of them marked it at from 27 to 65, one-third between 65 
and 75, while the remaining third of the teachers assigned 
to this paper marks ranging from 75 to 91. The extreme 
marks given to this paper were 27 and 91. 

Again, in almost any high school it will be found that 
different teachers in the same department will give the same 
pupils totally different marks, one teacher giving many C's 
and D's with very few or no A's, while another teacher in 
the department will give all or nearly all A's, with very 
few C's or D's. In short, teachers' marks represent a 
subjective estimate of pupils' achievement. What is needed 

1 

No. 2 



I INTRODUCTION 

is an objective measure of such achievement. In other 
words, a mark is desired which will reflect the quality of 
the object, that is, the examination paper or the pupil's per- 
formance. The teacher's mark is determined not only by 
this object, but also in a large measure by the subject — the 
personality of the teacher. 

There are several reasons why teachers' marks are in- 
accurate. In the first place, the teacher either makes no 
attempt, or fails in the attempt, to estimate the relative value 
of the questions of an examination, but merely assigns a 
value of, say, 10 per cent to each of ten questions, or 4 per 
cent to each of twenty-five words in spelling. As a matter 
of fact, one question or one word may be ten times as 
difficult as another. Whenever experiments have been con- 
ducted in which teachers have attempted to judge the dif- 
ficulty of examination questions, their judgment has been 
found to be very unreliable. The result is that the score 
of the pupil who solves the more difficult problems is not 
a fair statement of his ability or achievement as compared 
with the scores attained by other pupils on the easier prob- 
lems. We have no unit of measurement in such a case. 
The ten points received by one pupil may mean something 
entirely different from the ten points earned by another 
pupil on a different exercise. It is as if different grocers 
had different scales, so that a pound of sugar from one 
store would contain three ounces, from another store five 
ounces, from another twelve, and from still another twenty. 

Another objection to the teacher's mark is that the rate 
at which pupils work, or the time required, is not measured. 
Usually a very long period is given for an examination. The 
bright pupil will not be occupied during the entire time. 
His ability has not been measured. Results are therefore 
not comparable. The same score may represent totally dif- 
ferent performances. In one case a score of fifty may mean 
five exercises correctly done in thirty minutes ; in another 
case it may mean five exercises completed in two hours. Two 
pupils may get the same score, yet differ widely in ability. 



INTRODUCTION 6 

Moreover, the traditional examination and its mark do 
not afford the teacher any means of interpreting the mark. 
The teacher has no standard or normal performance with 
which to compare the achievement of the pupil. No teacher 
of shorthand has hitherto been able to state as a fact : "My 
class averages so many per cent above (or below) classes in 
other schools throughout the country, in ability to read short- 
hand notes." We have had no suitable standards with which 
to compare our results. It is now possible for an elementary 
school teacher to say of a boy in her class : "He is just so 
many per cent above the average boy of his age in the 
United States in his ability in spelling." The same may 
be done for handwriting, arithmetic, and other school sub- 
jects for which standard tests or scales have been con- 
structed. 

It is the purpose of this investigation to construct tests 
for Gregg Shorthand which will be free from the objec- 
tions to the traditional type of examination, and at the same 
time accomplish other desirable results which will be dis- 
cussed hereafter. The advent of similar tests and scales in 
other subjects has given an impulse to experimentation in 
education. This has resulted in better teaching. When- 
ever an adequate test is developed for any school 
subject, the teaching of that subject is inevitably im- 
proved. It is true that after the test has revealed its facts, 
the teaching problem is still to be solved and the work of 
teaching still to be done. But without the facts which the 
standard test reveals, a very important incentive, and in 
some cases important suggestions, for better teaching 
methods are lacking. The standardized test is therefore 
an instrument which shorthand education can no longer 
afford to neglect. Experimentation in methods of teaching 
must await measures of the results of teaching. 

The necessity of constructing standard tests for the various 
school subjects, including shorthand, is stated by Thorndike 
as follows: "What makes quantitative work in education 
hard is that it deals with facts of human nature and behavior. 



4 INTRODUCTION 

Complexity, variability, and the absence of proper units and 
scales of measure are the three great difficulties. . . . The 
complexity must be endured, the variability can be overcome 
by modern statistical technique, and the lack of units and 
scales is to be remedied by special investigations."* 

We could have no sciences such as physics, chemistry, 
astronomy or geography if we did not have such measures 
as those of weight, length, area, volume, and temperature. 
Just so we can never have a science of education unless 
we can measure educational facts. Without measures edu- 
cation is a happy-go-lucky, hit-or-miss process. It may 
accomplish much good work, but it can never accomplish 
the best possible work until we can say in education, "I 
know," not, "I think." We have measures which make 
it possible for us to know how much heavier or taller one 
boy is than another, even though one be in San Francisco 
and the other in New York. It is important to be able to 
know also how much faster or better the one writes short- 
hand than the other. For science and progress always wait 
upon measurement. 

Still other values of standard tests should be mentioned. 
Diagnostic tests will serve to point out specific deficiencies 
or educational ailments, for which it becomes the duty of 
the teacher to prescribe and administer a remedy. Indeed, 
the giving of the test will ofttimes suggest the remedy to 
apply. Two forms of a test may be used, before and after 
a given period of experimentation with different methods 
of teaching, in order to ascertain which of the methods has 
produced the better results. Again, the standard test often 
helps to motivate work and secure interest. Pupils will 
accept the scores they make as just and fair. They will set 
to work to surpass their own past records. Many pupils 
do not take teachers' marks seriously, knowing full well 
that a mark may reflect the teacher's dyspeptic condition 
or excessively lenient good-nature. The standard test score, 



* "Quantitative Investigations in Education." Sch. Rev. Monograph. No. i. 
Pp. 35 and 36. 



INTRODUCTION D 

however, is not only recognized as just and fair, but has 
the added interest that comes from knowing what pupils 
in other schools are doing. Furthermore, the standard test, 
such as the scale for quality of shorthand penmanship, 
makes it possible for the pupil to measure his own achieve- 
ment and progress. Knowledge of success makes for suc- 
cess. The teacher has a similar satisfaction and incentive 
in judging her work by comparing her class medians with 
standard scores. In these and other ways standard tests 
should make for the improvement of the teaching of short- 
hand. 

In entering upon this investigation it was recognized at 
the outset that the use of shorthand is a complex process, 
involving mental and motor aspects — knowledges and skills. 
An attempt was made to analyze shorthand into its important 
components and to plan for the measurement of these isolated 
functions. It seemed that shorthand is made up of a 
number of processes, indicated by the questions that one 
would wish to ask with regard to a pupil whose ability in 
shorthand one desired to know. These questions appear to be 
four in number : 1 . Can he read his notes ? 2. How rapidly 
can he write? 3. How well does he write, or what is the 
quality of his notes? 4. Does he know the system — how 
to write the outlines ? In other words, the important factors 
which one would wish to measure are 1. reading ability, 
2. quality of writing, 3. speed of writing, and 4. knowledge 
of the system as presented in the text-book. This analysis 
has determined the plan of the investigation. A reference 
to the table of contents will show that the sections of this 
study are attempts to provide measures which will enable 
one to answer these questions. 

It is realized that to undertake to construct such a variety 
of tests and scales as seems to be required is to attempt 
a rather ambitious program. It is hoped that some part, at 
least, of the work shall attain to success, and that from the 
whole undertaking, some good may flow. 

Not much attention will be given in this study to the 



O INTRODUCTION 

methods of administering tests, or to statistical and graphical 
methods. Those who may wish to use the tests are referred 
to standard handbooks mentioned in the bibliography for 
answers to general questions of this sort. 

Nor will this investigation touch the question of prog- 
nostic tests for shorthand. It appears to the writer to be 
probable that certain standard tests now in existence will, 
in combination, serve that purpose well. A pupil who writes 
a good "hand" will probably write legible notes. A hand- 
writing scale may be used. A pupil who spells well will 
probably be able to spell well in a somewhat different system 
(phonetically), and will therefore succeed well so far as 
knowledge of the system is concerned. A spelling test may 
be used. Other factors involved, and for which tests are 
available, are ability to read rapidly, to remember and to 
associate symbols and make these associations automatic. 
The shorthand writer must be able to read notes, associate 
the shorthand symbols with the letters of the alphabet, and 
remember the word-signs and forms for words. The writer 
would predict success in shorthand for one who makes good 
scores on these five tests : handwriting, spelling, reading, 
association and memory.* 



■'The writer has recently published a Prognostic Test for Stenographic Abil- 
ity. This test includes seven elements as follows: motor reaction, speed of 
writing, quality of writing, speed of reading, memory, spelling, and symbols. 

See also: Bills, M. A., Methods for the Selection of Comptometer Operators 
and Stenographers. J. of A. Psych. Sept., 1921, pp. 275-286. Also: A Test 
for Use in the Selection of Stenographers. J. of A. Psych. Dec, 1921, pp. 
373-377- 



II. THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SCALE FOR THE 

MEASUREMENT OF ABILITY TO READ 

SHORTHAND 

When entering upon the problem of constructing some sort 
of test for the measurement of the student's ability to read 
correct shorthand notes, the first impulse was to use some 
of the standardized silent reading tests, simply having them 
printed in shorthand instead of ordinary type. Further 
consideration, however, led to the abandonment of this 
plan, for the reason that it was felt that such a test would 
measure a confusion of two things, rather than merely read- 
ing ability. For the most part such tests require some re- 
sponse from the pupil, and these responses are of some 
unknown degree of difficulty. One could never be sure 
how much of the difficulty experienced by certain pupils 
with such a test would be due to the difficulty of the response 
called for, and how much to the difficulty in reading the 
shorthand notes. Some of the reading tests attempt to 
measure comprehension, usually by asking rather puzzling 
questions about what has been read. These would be, of 
all tests, the most unsuitable for the measurement of ability 
to read shorthand notes. 

In order to eliminate this element of difficulty in making 
the required response, the next suggestion was to use a "simple 
directions" test, printing the directions in shorthand instead 
of ordinary type, and accepting the correct response as an 
evidence of the successful reading of the shorthand. But 
here again investigation showed that such tests were made 
up of directions which were not "simple," that is, the re- 
sponses called for were such as involved some degree of diffi- 
culty. Again one could not be sure just what part of a 
given pupil's failure might be due to the difficulty he ex- 
perienced in understanding the directions and the response 

7 



8 THE ABILITY TO READ SHORTHAND 

required. The pupil might read the shorthand correctly and 
yet fail to make the response required by the test. 

The ordinary way by which teachers gauge roughly the 
ability of pupils to read their notes is to have them attempt 
to transcribe them on the typewriter, or to call upon them 
to read in class. Sometimes also shorthand readers are used. 
These methods are all good as classroom exercises but are 
not very readily capable of greater refinement or of stand- 
ardization for use as group tests. It is always possible, of 
course, to standardize, more or less, the procedure involved 
in testing individuals as to their ability to read perfect short- 
hand notes. But teachers do not have time to go into in- 
dividual testing very extensively. Group tests of reading 
ability are needed. 

The reading of the student's own notes in class is perhaps 
a good classroom exercise, but can hardly be standardized 
as a test of reading ability. The transcribing of his notes 
upon a typewriter is open to a number of objections. The 
notes themselves are not standardized. Usually they are 
of different matter, and always vary in their quality as 
shorthand notes. It is furthermore impossible to say just 
what part of the total time consumed in the transcription 
was spent in reading and what part in typing. The good 
typist might very easily make a better score than the poor 
typist, even though the latter excelled in his ability to read 
shorthand. Finally, pupils very often resort to various 
"cribbing" devices to piece out what they cannot get from 
their notes. 

From all of the foregoing considerations it became evident 
that an attempt should be made to devise a test in such a 
way that the particular thing in question, reading ability, 
would be isolated and measured, in a standardized group test, 
in which comprehension or the difficulty of making the re- 
quired responses should play no part. Accordingly an at- 
tempt was made to devise a test comprised of "simple 
directions" which would be really simple, that is, directions 
which involved zero difficulty. 



THE ABILITY TO READ SHORTHAND 9 

To this end teachers, graduate students and friends were 
asked to contribute questions, exercises or directions, the 
answer or response to which would involve no difficulty, 
that is, would be given correctly by as nearly as possible 
one hundred per cent of all who attempted them. 
After some efforts along this line the attempt was given 
up. It seemed that the exercises either involved some diffi- 
culty or were ridiculous. It might, notwithstanding, be pos- 
sible to devise a shorthand reading test in this way, but the 
suggestion came that it would be in many respects more 
satisfactory to try the completion test method. It was 
along this line that the test A-l was actually worked out by 
a procedure which we shall now describe. 

Two actual business letters were selected, having a total 
length of exactly five hundred words. In these letters every 
tenth word was underscored to indicate that an alternate 
word was to be supplied with it, from which the person 
tested should choose the correct one. The problem arose 
as to whether the correct word should always be written 
above the incorrect one. This would evidently be' unsatis- 
factory. The student would soon discover the order. It 
would be likewise unsatisfactory for the same reason to 
alternate, having now the correct, now the incorrect word 
written above. A purely chance order was required. Ac- 
cordingly a penny was tossed fifty times and the "heads" 
recorded as meaning that the correct word should be placed 
above, while the "tails" meant the reverse order. 

When it was attempted to select the alternate words it 
was discovered that, due to the workings of association paths 
in the mind, the words that suggested themselves were such 
as had some more or less logical connection with the sentence. 
This was just what was not wanted, for it would mean that 
the choices would be "fine" ones, requiring a good deal of 
power of discrimination, or in other words, choices of a 
considerable degree of difficulty. In order, therefore, to 
secure such words as would make the choices of practically 
no difficulty, the Ayres Spelling Scale was resorted to, and 



10 THE ABILITY TO READ SHORTHAND 

the words taken from one of its columns. When each under- 
scored word was supplied with its alternate it became ap- 
parent that in several instances the word chanced to be one 
which would make fairly good "sense," thereby making the 
choice of the right word very difficult. Such words were 
discarded and still others taken, further down the column of 
the Spelling Scale, until the choices all appeared to be satis- 
factory. 

In order to ascertain whether these word choices were 
really of approximately zero difficulty, the two letters were 
mimeographed, together with directions, as follows : 



THE ABILITY TO READ SHORTHAND 11 

Read the following business letters and draw a line through 
the incorrect word in each place where a choice of words is 
called for. Accuracy is more important than speed, so don't 
do the work faster than you can do it correctly. 

Dear Mr. Jones : 

We beg to acknowledge receipt of ™°!j f° r nrst annual premium 

on policy No. 28148 thus pU . m ^ your policy in full force and effect 
extra 

at once. j GS event of your death during this year the policy 

i w - , be paid in full face value, less this note. jr you should 

desire to pay this note at anv ,™ before its maturity, the same 
e J J time 

will be discounted at . rate of 4% per annum for balance of 

year. 

Y will find enclosed our "Daily Cost of Insurance" setting 

r °i the easiest way of meeting such obligations. In order • , 

all 
encourage its method, we will allow 6% discount for , , 

remittances sent us during the year on account of note, thus 

distributing its burden and relieving its strain. 

* X one of our policy-holders you are a member , the Cor- 

poration and thus interested with its management in u^i-i^o. U P i ts 
membership. In 1915 our business was considerably , ,, advance 
of the year 1914, and we are anxious , mi make the current year 
a still better one. This aT r ^?7 no doubt be done, but it will be much 

easier ior us t0 ^° lt ** a ^ our P°h c y v/m r w ^* contribute their 
share in the way of interesting "^I^ 6 friends and in the way of 
securing their applications. 

M a ^. we not have you with us in this good ™?** ? Every new 

policy-holder will contribute to the greater vl . t . a lty , of the Fund, and 

therefore to its surplus accumulations. ^ s ? thus to larger dividends. 

This incentive for your sympathetic 1C f active co-operation is 
therefore worthy of your consideration. 



12 THE ABILITY TO READ SHORTHAND 



Wishing ac ^" nt all success in every effort to advance the welfare 



while the Fund ' we are 



Very sincerely yours, 

Washington Mutual j?^ 

Dear Sir: 
We are in receipt of your letter ° • recent date in which you 

ask us to send booklet and terms on the Smithton Typewriter. 

Following are our steamer to district agents whom we expect will 

appoint sub-agents as , well as sell direct : 

The Smithton Typewriter is retailing tho f e $75. Our price to 

at 

agents is $50 Smithton. If mi ^h t accompanies the order a discount 
of 2% will be \ e ^» ' We guarantee our machine for a period 
of one ° ear against imperfect parts, or mechanical construction and 
will stand ^^ of all sales you make. 

We are inclosing an 2 u f^ a * folder of instructions to users 
of our machine and r °J! g separate cover mailing one of our 
dealers instruction booklets, j you wish to become our repre- 

sentative in your district even will ask you to outline by counties the 
we 

territory J?? wish to cover. 

With your first order we will urms some illustrated folders 
and also some advertising cuts if 7°\ intend to do local newspaper 
advertising. We will do ^"th'n possible to help you get busi- 
ness. We are in ^"y;™ to fill orders on twenty-four hours' notice 
and will .° a preference to our American agents. Hoping to hear 
heart you * ur t ner if interested, we beg to remain, 



Respectfully >T rs 



who 



THE ABILITY TO READ SHORTHAND 13 

In this form the test was given to forty- four boys in the 
commercial department of the Frederick, Maryland, Boys' 
High School, and to forty-six girls in the Junior class of 
Hood College. The papers were subsequently scored. It 
was found that the girls made the wrong choice in six-tenths 
of one per cent of the cases, while the boys made the wrong 
choice in three and one-fourth per cent of the cases. Of 
71 errors made by the boys, 36 were on three on the choices : 
"to-provide," "real-fund" and "file-forth." Of 15 errors 
made by the girls, 11 were on these same three choices. It ap- 
pears that in all three cases the words form a "phrase," which 
fact made the choice confusing. The three difficult choices 
were therefore changed by supplying other alternate words, 
such as would avoid this confusion. With this change it 
appears that the test, as printed in ordinary type, would in- 
volve certainly less than two per cent of difficulty, and in 
the case of the girls, less than one-half of one per cent of 
difficulty. This seemed to be a satisfactorily close approach 
to zero difficulty, and accordingly the test was now printed 
in shorthand, with only the word choices in ordinary type. 
This test is known as "Test A-l, Reading Ability." 

By the opening of the school year of 1921-22 the author 
was able to report tentative standard scores on this test, 
based on 233 cases in 16 different classes in 12 different 
states, as follows: 

For those who had one year of instruction in short- 
hand, a median score of 67. 

For those who had two years of instruction in short- 
hand, a median score of 80. 

Two other business letters, from the same firms, dictated 
by the same men, and therefore probably of approximately 
the same style and difficulty, are at hand, for the construction 
of a second form of the A test. But the publishing and 
standardizing of a second form has been postponed until 
further use of the first form shall have fully justified its 
validity for its purpose. 

It should be noted in passing that the directions given 
with the preliminary testing: "Draw a line through the 



14 THE ABILITY TO READ SHORTHAND 

incorrect word" were changed on the A-l test to : "under- 
score the correct word." One person who tried the pre- 
liminary test reported that the required turning of the atten- 
tion to the incorrect word led to some confusion, and that 
it would be easier to check the correct word. The objection 
seemed well-grounded and the change was made. 

Further use of this test with a larger number of pupils, 
492 in all, distributed in 33 classes in 17 states, shows 
somewhat lower standard scores, which appear in the fol- 
lowing table : 



THE ABILITY TO READ SHORTHAND 



15 



TABLE I 

Distribution of Scores, and Standard Medians of A-l Test 



Class Intervals m-,.^ 
v_iass 


i V2 yr. 
Class 


2 yr. 

Class 


All 
Classes 


161-170 1 

151-160 1 2 






1 
1 

1 

7 

10 

12 

18 

30 

16 

23 

18 

1 



1 




3 

1 

1 

1 

4 

10 

15 

18 

21 

25 

16 

6 

6 





1 




5 


141-150 | 4 


5 


131-140 . 1 


3 


121-130 | 2 


4 


111-120 j 1 

101-110 | 3 


6 
20 


91-100 | 11 

81-90 j 14 


36 
44 


71-80 | 42 


81 


61-70 ! 38 

51-60 j 29 


93 
61 


41-50 | 39 

31-40 25 


68 
49 


21-30 4 


5 


11-20 3 


3 


0-10 | 


2 


No. of cases \ 218 

Medians 63.5 


146 
65.7 


128 
76. 


492 



dumber 
ofca.sc5 

100 



90 

80 
70 

ec- 
so 

40 
30 
20 
10 



KfirYftls 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 

Rg.i. Distribution of 492. Scores on. Test A-l 



III. THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SCALE FOR 
SPEED OF WRITING IN SHORTHAND 

The usual way in which teachers of shorthand attempt 
to measure the speed of writing of their pupils is by dictat- 
ing certain material to the class, gradually increasing the 
rate of reading until they can barely succeed in "taking" it. 
This method is open to several objections. In the first place, 
it presupposes a "class," whereas in reality there is no such 
thing as a class. No two in the class can write at exactly 
the same rate of speed, except by a very remote chance, and 
yet this test presupposes that a group will be able to take 
the dictation at a given rate. The method would be more 
valid if applied to an individual, and even then the teacher 
should be in a position to see the pupil's notes, so as to know 
whether the pupil was "keeping after." Otherwise, if the 
dictation were too rapid, the pupil would be embarrassed and 
confused by the necessity of remembering the part dictated 
but not yet written, and the tendency would be cumulative in 
the direction of a decrease of efficiency, even below the real 
ability of the pupil. 

The method is further open to the objection that the 
material dictated is not standardized. Its difficulty is not 
known. The writer has seen classes struggling and growing 
discouraged, (a condition which is opposed to improvement) 
when they came upon a difficult section of their dictation 
book, made up of materials in "heavy" language, perhaps 
more or less technical. Being accustomed to write 100 words 
per minute, they now failed to maintain this speed, and were 
perhaps chided by the teacher for their failure to do what 
they should never have been expected to do. It would be 
well if even the dictation practice exercises were standard- 
ized, so that in all cases pupils and teachers might know what 
might reasonably be expected of them at their stage of ad- 
vancement. But certainly tests should be on standardized 
materials. 

16 



SPEED OF WRITING IN SHORTHAND 17 

In an effort to meet the first objection, teachers have 
sometimes given the class a passage in longhand, and asked 
them to transcribe it into shorthand. This may be a legiti- 
mate classroom procedure, but as a test it is in turn open 
to some objections. What does it test? Evidently reading 
ability and knowledge of the shorthand system as well as 
speed of writing. This ability and this knowledge are im- 
portant, and well worthy of being tested or measured. But 
there is a time and place for everything. Certainly a good 
test will not attempt to measure a number of different 
things at the same time. 

The problem then is: how may a test be constructed to 
measure the pupil's ability to write shorthand rapidly, such 
that it will allow each pupil to work at his own rate of 
speed (he should not be confused by being compelled to 
write faster than he is able, nor should he find time hanging 
heavy upon his hands because the dictation is too slow to 
call forth the best speed that is in him), will employ standard 
materials of known difficulty, and will afford standard scores 
for comparison? 

To supply a standardized passage in ordinary type with 
directions that it be copied in shorthand is open to the objec- 
tion that so much depends upon the pupil's knowledge of the 
system. Furthermore, much time would be consumed in 
looking back and forth, from the copy to the line of writing. 
One who knew the system well and could look back and forth 
readily without losing his place might win the highest score 
in such a test, even though he actually drew his outlines 
very slowly instead of really writing them. If the standard- 
ized passage were supplied in shorthand, with directions 
merely to copy it, the objections would be that the pupil must 
still look back and forth, hunting his place, and that further- 
more much time may be lost in the attempt to read the short- 
hand, for one can not write shorthand readily unless one 
knows the words and the letters he is writing. 

It seemed, therefore, that the pupil should be supplied with 
the longhand of the passage to prevent his losing time in 

No. 3 



18 SPEED OF WRITING IN SHORTHAND 

reading; that he should be supplied with the shorthand of 
the passage to prevent his gaining or losing anything in his 
"speed of writing" score by virtue of his superior or inferior 
knowledge of the system; and that both the longhand and 
the shorthand should be given him as he goes, at the rate 
of speed which just suits him, in such a way that he would 
not be compelled to look back and forth, hunting his place 
in the copy. These considerations suggested, what has been 
called, "the tri-interlinear device" of the tests B-l and B-2, 
for speed of writing. It will be noticed that these tests pro- 
vide three lines, one for the longhand, one for the short- 
hand, and a line of writing for the pupil's own notes. It is 
believed that these tests will more nearly isolate the function 
it is here desired to measure, speed of writing shorthand 
notes, than will any other sort of test that has been devised. 
One's eyesight is less taxed, not being required to find the 
place in the copy. Nothing depends upon one's hearing, 
as in the case of matter dictated. One's score is not much 
affected by one's knowledge of the system, for the proper 
shorthand outlines are indeed "at his pencil's end," supplied 
in the test. Nothing depends upon memory, as in the case 
of a test dictated to a group. The writer has known cases 
where the inferior pupil came out ahead in such tests, simply 
because when the dictation came too fast they had the ability 
to store up much of it in memory, to write it later when 
the dictation was slower or had ceased. This, of course, 
is a very valuable ability for the practical stenographer, and 
should be cultivated if possible. But it should not be allowed 
to intrude when the purpose is to measure speed of writing, 
isolated from everything else, or as nearly isolated as may 
be possible. 

Copies of the tests, keys, and class record sheets are given 
in the appendix. They include the necessary directions for 
giving and scoring the tests. It will be noted that by means 
of the key supplied to teachers, the tests may be scored in 
a very small fraction of a minute. In fact, the teacher might 
score the papers for a large class in less than five minutes. 



SPEED OF WRITING IN SHORTHAND 19 

This is one great advantage of these tests. The resulting 
"pupil's score'' is a score in words written per minute. 

It has been reported to the writer that the fastest living 
writer of Gregg Shorthand tried these tests and found that 
he could not complete their four hundred words, or more, 
in the allotted time, two minutes, even though he could ordi- 
narily "take" the same amount of material in dictation in 
less than two minutes. The obvious reply is that we are 
not claiming for these tests that they will give the same 
score that some other form of test will yield. The scores 
in dictation tests will probably be higher. All that need be 
claimed to establish the validity of these tests is that the 
relative scores of two or more persons who take the tests 
give a true idea of their relative ability so far as speed of 
writing is concerned. If they do this as well as other sorts 
of tests do, and in addition supply standard scores, they 
have at least that advantage to their credit. That no one 
can complete the tests in the time allowed is not at all dis- 
concerting, but rather most gratifying. It was the purpose 
to provide more material than any one could finish. Other- 
wise those who finished before "time" was called would not 
have been tested. 

Tentative standard scores were published in September, 
1921, for the B-l and B-2 tests as follows: 

B-i B-2 

Number of cases 281 265 

Number of classes tested 17 15 

Number of states, represented 11 11 

Median for those who had shorthand 1 yr 55.9 69.1 

For those who had shorthand 2 years 73 80.5 

Further use of these tests with a larger number of cases, 
984 in all, distributed through 32 classes in 15 states for 
B-l and 29 classes in 16 states for B-2, yielded the median 
or standard scores shown in the following table : 



20 



SPEED OF WRITING IN SHORTHAND 



TABLE II 
Distribution of Scores, and Medians of Tests B-l and B-2 





Test B-i 




Test B-2 


i 


Both 
Tests 


Class 


i year 


i % yr. 


2 year 


i year 


i% yr. 


2 year 


All 


Intervals 


Group 


Group 


Group 


Group 


Group 


Group 


Groups 


131-140 ... 


1 

















1 


121-130 ... 


2 











1 


3 


6 


111-120 ... 


2 


1 





1 


6 


2 


12 


101-110 ... 


2 


6 


4 


6 


5 


9 


32 


91-100 ... 


1 


13 


10 


9 


12 


16 


61 


81- 90 ... 


7 


15 


28 


32 


32 


24 


138 


71- 80 . . . 


17 


32 


19 


50 


14 


27 


159 


61- 70 ... 


50 


24 


20 


62 


17 


15 


188 


51- 60 . . . 


75 


24 


27 


58 


12 


12 


208 


41- 50 . . . 


58 


17 


11 


28 


6 


4 


124 


31- 40 . . . 


25 


9 


7 


4 


1 


1 


47 


21- 30 . . . 


6 


1 


1 














11- 20 ... 























No. cases . . 


246 


142 


127 


250 


106 


113 


984 




515 


cases on 


B-l 


469 


cases on 


B-2 




Medians . . 


| 55.6 


69.5 


70. 


66.6 


82.1 


79.3 





tt£ 




Fiq.Z. Distribution of 984 Scores on Tests B-l o.nd B-2. 



SPEED OF WRITING IN SHORTHAND 21 

Tentative standard scores for the two forms of the B tests 
seem, at first sight, to indicate that B-2 is less difficult than 
B-l, inasmuch as the norms set for the two forms are ap- 
proximately ten points higher for B-2 than for B-l. It 
would, of course, be very unfortunate if two forms of any 
test differed so widely in difficulty. The two selections 
were made with a view to having them of approximately 
equal difficulty. They were taken from the same writing, 
and appear to be similar in style. 

Fortunately, there was evidence to show that in all the 
cases upon which these tentative norms were based, B-l was 
given first, and B-2 second. There was a possibility, there- 
fore, that the difference of ten points might be due to the 
effect of practice, especially in view of the fact that the 
test is quite different in its nature from anything the stu- 
dents were likely to have done before. Accordingly when 
the two forms of the B test were given to the ninety-six 
cases, as described elsewhere, they were given in the reverse 
order: B-2 before B-l. The result was that the median 
score for B-l was found to be, not lower, but actually six 
points higher than the B-2 median. The practice-effect may 
have been more or less in this case than in other places. 
Taking these results as typical, however, they would indi- 
cate a difference in difficulty of only two points — an almost 
negligible difference. It is recommended that those using 
the tests should read the norms given for B-l as the standards 
for the first use of a B test, and similarly for the norms 
given for B-2. 



IV. THE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE 
A AND B TESTS 

Two questions which should be asked with regard to every 
test are: 1. Is it valid? 2. Is it reliable? In other words, 
the first question is whether the test measures the function 
it pretends to measure; the second question asks whether 
the test or the different forms of the test measure that func- 
tion consistently. A test may be very interesting and very 
cleverly arranged, yet really useless if it does not measure 
the function it is intended to measure. Again, a test is com- 
paratively worthless if it gives widely differing results on 
two or more successive applications. In that case we say 
it is not trustworthy, or not reliable. It is incumbent 
upon anyone who offers tests to teachers for their use to 
inform them as to the extent to which the tests may be 
trusted to do the thing they are said to do, and to do it con- 
sistently. To answer these questions a number of investiga- 
tions have been made. 

The Validity of Test A-l 
In searching about for an absolute measure of reading 
ability, with which the results of the A test might be com- 
pared, so as to show its measure of validity, the author 
decided upon the plan of giving individual, timed tests in 
reading. An arrangement was made with the Boys' High 
School, Frederick, Md., whereby the boys of the Commercial 
Department were permitted to come to the office, one at a 
time. The writer met each boy, explained to him the purpose 
of the work, and the fact that the results would not affect 
him in any way, thus trying to get the best possible rapport. 
The boy was then requested to begin reading aloud from a 
page of printed shorthand notes (Gregg Speed Studies, page 
156, "Productive Employment"). Each reading was care- 
fully timed with a stop-watch for three minutes, and the 
number of the last word read was recorded. This number 
was regarded as a gross result, from which the number of 

9? 



VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF A AND B TESTS 23 

words "prompted" was subtracted to get the net number 
of words read. In prompting, the experimenter allowed 
exactly five seconds, in every case, before giving the help. 
The net number of words read was divided by the number 
of minutes (three) to get the net number of words read 
per minute. These scores were considered sufficiently reliable 
measures of the pupils' reading ability to justify their being 
adopted as a criterion. 

Test A-l was then used with this same group of boys, 
and after an interval of a week, used a second time. These 
two sets of scores were averaged and the average scores 
correlated with the individual-timed reading scores. The 
resulting coefficient of correlation, using the Pearson for- 
mula, was .55, P. E. .08. The correlation with the first use 
of A-l yields a somewhat lower coefficient, while with the 
second use of A-l the coefficient of correlation is somewhat 
higher than that given. Furthermore, two or three of the 
brighter boys tried to "beat" the test the second time they 
took it, by guessing at the word-choices, thus trying to 
accomplish a greater part of the work than they could other- 
wise do. Their guesses proved rather unfortunate. Inas- 
much as the method of scoring the test calls for subtracting 
the number wrong from the number right, these boys received 
very low scores — much lower than on the first trial of the 
test, when they followed directions honestly. If these scores 
were left out of account, the coefficients of correlation would 
be nearly ten points higher, that is, approximately .65 with 
a correspondingly lower P. E. However, even the obtained 
coefficient, .55, is regarded as satisfactory evidence of the 
validity of the test. This statement needs to be qualified, 
however, by a recognition of the fact that the number of 
cases was perhaps too small (forty-one cases) to be conclu- 
sive. 

The Reliability of the A Tests 

As mentioned above, test A-l was used twice with the 
group of forty-one boys, with approximately one week 
intervening between the two uses of the test. These two 



24 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF A AND B TESTS 

sets of scores were correlated to show the extent to which 
the test is reliable, or consistent, in yielding the same sort 
of results on successive trials. The self-correlation of test 
A-l was found to be that expressed by the Pearson coefficient 
.80, P. E. .04. This coefficient seems quite satisfactory, 
though here again it needs to be remembered that the num- 
ber of cases was rather small. 

The author's experience in the use and the scoring of the 
A-l test indicates that while the results secured from the 
first use of the test are good, the second use of the same test 
yields somewhat better and more reliable scores. This ap- 
pears to be due to the fact that the nature of test is "strange" 
to the pupils. On the second trial they get the "swing" of 
it and do themselves justice. The same remarks apply with 
equal force to the B tests. Experience with the results in 
those cases where pupils, knowing the author personally, 
tried to "beat" his test by guessing at the word-choices, 
justifies those who use the test in warning the class that 
the test and its scoring are such that "the cards are stacked" 
against those who guess. The chances are that they will 
make better scores by honest work than by guessing. Teach- 
ers can very readily tell when guessing has been resorted to. 
Given the context, the word-choices are of approximately 
zero difficulty. Honest papers usually show no mistaken 
choices, so far as they go. Or at most, they may show one 
or two mistaken choices. When pupils guess they will have 
a much larger and very noticeable number of mistakes. 

The Validity of the B Tests 

Miss Brewington of the University of Chicago gave a 
group of thirty-four pupils two forms of the B test. To 
the same group was assigned the task of copying familiar 
printed shorthand from a page of a text-book for three 
minutes. All scores were reduced to a words-per-minute 
basis. The B-l and B-2 scores were averaged, and the 
average scores correlated with the scores derived from the 
timed readings from good, printed shorthand notes. The 



VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF A AND B TESTS 25 

Pearson coefficient of correlation was found to be .51 with 
a P. E. of .09. The correlations with either of the B tests 
alone were approximately the same. This coefficient is worthy 
of some consideration as showing the validity of the tests, 
though the number of cases must be admitted to be too 
small. 

A similar experiment was made in the High Schools of 
Frederick, Md. Ninety-six pupils were given the two forms 
of the B test. They were also given an original test, which 
may be described as follows : A selection of fifty words 
from "Rip Van Winkle" was written on the blackboard in 
good shorthand notes. 

"He was observed at first to vary on some points every time 
he told it, which was doubtless owing to his having so re- 
cently awaked. It at last settled down precisely to the tale I 
have related ; and not a man, woman, or child in the neigh- 
borhood but knew it." 

The teachers then read the shorthand to the class and 
had them copy it three times for practice and to familiarize 
them with the text and the outline. Practice papers were 
then laid aside and the pupils were told to write the matter 
as often and as rapidly as they could, for three minutes. 
The teachers gave the signals "start" and "stop" and kept 
the time carefully. Papers were then collected and scored, 
in words per minute. 

The correlation of the scores on this original test with 
the average scores made on the two forms of the B test yields 
the coefficient .73 P. E. .03. This coefficient is regarded as 
quite satisfactory and the number of cases as fairly large. 
These results tend to show the validity of the B tests. Taken 
together with the results secured by Miss Brewington, they 
show that the B tests will give, in a few minutes, scores very 
similar to those derived from other, unstandardized tests 
devised with a view to measuring the same function, speed 
of writing. The B tests have the advantage of being more 
convenient, requiring less time to administer and score, and 
affording standard scores for comparative purposes. 



26 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF A AND B TESTS 

The Reliability of the B Tests 

Scores received from Miss Brewington on the two forms 
of the B test for fifty-seven individuals, show a self-corre- 
lation expressed by the Pearson coefficient .83 with a P. E. 
of .03. 

Self-correlation of the ninety-six scores on the two forms 
of the B test administered in the Frederick High Schools 
is found to be .87, P. E. .02. ■ 

Here we have a fairly large number of cases (one hundred 
and fifty-three in all) and a close agreement between the 
two coefficients, tending to show that the true degree of self- 
correlation will probably be found to be between .80 and .90, 
or at any rate, high enough to justify the B tests from the 
standpoint of their reliability. 

TABLE III 

Coefficients of Correlation Showing Validity and Reliability 
of the A and B Tests 

Scores Correlated No. cases r P. E. 

Average of two scores on A-l with stop- 
watch-timed individual test 41 .55 .08 

Self-correlation of A-l 41 .80 .04 

Average of B-l and B-2 with copying from 

text-book 3 min. (Chicago) 34 .51 .09 

Average of B-l and B-2 with writing famil- 
iar text 3 min. (Frederick) 96 .73 .03 

B-l with B-2 (Chicago) 57 .83 .03 

B-l with B-2 (Frederick) 96 .87 .02 



V. THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SCALE FOR 
SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 

For the purpose of constructing a scale for the measure- 
ment of the quality of Gregg Shorthand penmanship, a col- 
lection of specimens of shorthand was made in a uniform 
way. From "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip 
Van Winkle," both from Irving's "Sketch Book," two hun- 
dred and fifty-four selections were made, of exactly fifty 
words each. These selections were cut from the books and 
glued upon cards three by six inches in size, both in the 
shorthand and in the longhand. These cards were distributed 
to pupils in various schools, together with a sheet five 
and one-half by eight and one-half inches, upon which were 
printed the outlines of two squares, three by three and 
one-half inches each, together with the directions : 

"Number (Write here the number given on 

the card.) Copy the shorthand given on the card in the 
upper space first, then again in the second space." 

The purpose was to regard the first writing as practice, 
and to use the second in the actual construction of the scale. 
Most of the cards were copied by four different individuals. 
By means of the number at the top of the page each specimen 
can be identified, and by turning to the card with the cor- 
responding number, the key to the shorthand may be found. 

Teachers were instructed to allow pupils to use either pen 
or pencil and to allow them sufficient time so that all might 
finish. They were also instructed to secure specimens from 
all pupils, regardless of the degree of proficiency or advance- 
ment in shorthand. 

In this way eleven hundred and fifty-five specimens were 
secured. The names of the schools and the number of 
specimens secured from each are as follows : 

Western High School, Baltimore, 615; High School of Commerce, 
New York, 165; Schenley High School, Pittsburgh, 96; The Balti- 
more Business College, 79 ; Baltimore City College, 25 ; Girls' High 
School, Frederick, Md., 50; Boys' High School, Frederick, Md., 42; 

27 



28 



A SCALE FOR SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 



The Harrisburg (Pa.) Shorthand School, 28; The Lancaster (Pa) 
Business College, 26; individuals, 3; The Gregg Publishing Com- 
pany, 6; Johns Hopkins University, Summer Session, 20. 

The six specimens secured from the Gregg office were 
written by experts. The twenty specimens secured in the 
University Summer Session were written by persons, none 
of whom had ever had any instruction in shorthand whatso- 
ever. These twenty-six specimens were secured in this way 
after it had been found that the more than eleven hundred 
specimens contained few if any that were good enough for 
the upper end of the scale, or poor enough for the lower end. 

The entire eleven hundred and fifty-five specimens were 
graded by five judges. The judges were told to sort the 

C 

573 





D 




B 






Z50 




Z50 




E 








A 


4-1 








41 













10 20 30 4-0 50 60 70 80 90 100 

Fiq. 3. Plan for Selecting 205 Specimens out of 1155 so 45 to hare them Dis- 
tributed, at Approximate!;) Ea;iial Intervals over the scale. The Shaded Area 
Represents the 205 Specimens Retained. The Y/kitt Area Represents 

the 950 Specimens Discarded. 

specimens into five piles, very good, good, medium, poor, 
and very poor, in such a way that approximately one-half 
of the entire number would be in the middle or medium 
group, about forty specimens each in the very good and 
very poor groups, with the rest about equally divided between 
the good and the poor. In other words, a normal distribu- 
tion was assumed, with the percentages for the five groups 
approximately three, twenty-two, fifty, twenty-two and three. 
It was felt that this would assist the judges in giving a 
better rating than would probably be the case without such 
guidance. 



A SCALE FOR SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 29 

The five judgments on each specimen were then averaged 
and on this basis a selection was made of approximately 
forty-one specimens of each grade, very good, good, medium, 
poor and very poor. This meant that in all only two hun- 
dred and five specimens were retained for further grading, 
while the great bulk, nine hundred and fifty specimens, repre- 
senting a surplus of material at about the middle part of 
the scale, could be at once discarded. It was believed that the 
two hundred and five specimens, so selected, would include 
an adequate number for each step of the scale. (See figure 3.) 

Twelve additional judgments were then secured for the 
two hundred and five specimens, in accordance with the 
following directions : 

Directions for Grading 205 Specimens of Shorthand 
Preliminary — Shuffle thoroughly like cards. 

I 

Sort the 205 specimens into five piles (A, B, C, D, E, or Very 
Good, Good, Medium, Poor, Very Poor) so that there are not less 
than 34 nor more than 44 in any one pile. If there are more or less 
than these numbers in any pile, re-sort the larger piles at least in 
part. 

II 

Re-sort each of the five piles into two, so that you get the better 
and the worse halves, with not over 25 or under 15 in each half. This 
step will give you ten piles, from the worst, which we will arbitrarily 
call 1, to the best which we will call 10. 

Ill 
Turn each of the ten piles over and write on the back of each 
paper, under the numbers already there, at the left hand edge, its 
score (i. e., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10). SHUFFLE. 

Here the assumption was that there were approximately 
an equal number of specimens representing each of the five 
groups. For this reason the directions were given for the 
guidance of the judges in such a way as to rule out of ac- 
count their personal opinions as to the absolute quality of 
the specimens. What was wanted was their judgment as to 
the relative qualities of the specimens. 

There were now five and twelve, or in all seventeen, judg- 
ments recorded for each specimen. With the aid of an add- 
ing machine these seventeen judgments were averaged, count- 
ing the digits as tens (thus 6 would count as 60,) and 



30 A SCALE FOR SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 

counting the values of the five groups of the original judg- 
ments as 90, 70, 50, 30 and 10. The values of the two hun- 
dred and five specimens, secured by thus adding their points, 
were then arranged in order from the best to the worst. 

From the two hundred and five specimens, so evaluated, 
forty specimens were now selected, such that their point 
values differed by approximately equal amounts. By this 
procedure it was believed that a series of specimens was 
secured, ranging, by approximately equal steps in value, 
from the very poorest, of approximately zero value, to the 
very best, a specimen of perfect shorthand, written by an 
expert, the value of which is approximately one hundred. 

These forty specimens were then engraved (see appendix) 
and five hundred and fifty duplicate sets struck off, which 
were mailed to as many different teachers of shorthand all 
over the United States, with the request that they judge them 
in accordance with the following directions: 

To Gregg Shorthand Teachers : 

For nearly two years I have been working on a scale for measur- 
ing the quality of Shorthand Penmanship. Now I have reached the 
stage in my work when I must send this appeal for co-operation to 
500 teachers of Gregg Shorthand. 

Some time in January the completed scale will be ready. A copy 
will be sent you gratis in return for your co-operation. 

I wish to have the 40 specimens sent you herewith graded from the 
standpoint of their quality or general merit as shorthand penmanship. 
Will you please co-operate with me in this work by giving me the 
benefit of your judgment? 

The Following Plan is Suggested: 

1. Sort the forty specimens into five groups of about eight speci- 
mens each, as follows: VERY POOR, POOR, MEDIUM, GOOD, 
VERY GOOD. 

2. Now take each of these groups in turn and divide it into the 
better and worse halves. This will give you ten groups of four speci- 
mens each. 

3. Take up one group after the other and arrange the four speci- 
mens from the standpoint of their merit as shorthand penmanship. 

4. When you have gone through each group in this way you will 
have arranged the entire forty specimens in such a manner that the 
best is on the top and the worst at the bottom, with the others gradu- 
ated all the way between. 

5. Put the specimens, arranged in this order from best to worst, 
in the return envelope, and post. 



A SCALE FOR SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 31 

May I assure you your co-operation in this matter will be greatly 
appreciated. Sincerely yours, 

(Signed) 

When the time arrived that the judgments should be in 
hand, it was found that 250 teachers had responded by 
arranging the specimens in the order of their quality from 
the best to the worst, and returning them in this order. 
A considerable number of judges reported less promptly. 
Fifty of these were later included in the study, making 300 
in all. The resulting data are given in a tablef in which 
the judges are indicated by the numbers at the left hand 
margin, from 1 to 300, and the ranks by the numbers at the 

TABLE IV 
Average Rank of 40 Specimens of Shorthand 



o. of Specimen 


Average Rank 


No. of Specimen 


Average Rank 


11* 


1.872 


4 


....20.408 


32* 


3.164 


10 


20.672 


23* 


4.260 


19 


20.796 


24* 


6.104 


5 


21.148 


27* 


6.988 


9* 


....21.180 


28* 


9.282 


37 


....25.484 


26 


10.728 


36* 


....25.516 


17 


10.960 


40 


. . . .28.020 


38* 


11.052 


8* 


....29.628 


3 


12.152 


14 


....31.156 


2 


12.592 


25 


....31.164 


13* 


13.744 


1 


....32.480 


15 


14.512 


6* 


....32.556 


12 


15.392 


31 


32.980 


34* 


15.692 


7 


33.464 


20 


16.768 


39 


....33.492 


18 


17.072 


29 


....34.076 


30 


17.912 


16 


....34.220 


22 


17.964 

18.760 


35* . 


....34.620 


33* 


21* 


....39.812 



top of the table, from 1 to 40. The main body of the table 
is made up of numbers which identify the several specimens, 
to which the numbers from 1 to 40 were assigned in a purely 
chance order. To illustrate, if judge number 1 considered 
specimen 10 to rank thirteenth, then "10" would be written 
opposite 1 and under 13. 



t This table is not reproduced here. Anyone who is interested in these orig- 
inal data will find them in the author's dissertation on file in the library of 
the Johns Hopkins University. 

* Indicates the specimens included on the scale. 



32 A SCALE FOR SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 

After the results were compiled for the first 250 judges 
to report, the average rank of each of the specimens was 
computed with the aid of a calculating machine. This was 
done in order to ascertain the relative values or ranking of 
the specimens. The result is shown in Table IV. 

The next step was to count the number of judges who 
considered each specimen superior to the next best, and then, 
with the aid of the table given by Thorndike in his "Mental 
and Social Measurements" (pp. 122, 123, Table 23) to ascer- 
tain the differences in the values of the specimens in terms 
of P. E. This method is based upon the theory that "equally 
often noticed differences are equal." The amounts of differ- 
ence are shown in Table V. 

In connection with his explanation of this method Thorn- 
dike says: "The method as a whole presupposes that the 
observations are made by judges of some competence. Its 
precision depends upon how competent they are." Some- 
thing needs, therefore, to be said with reference to the 
judges employed in this work. 

When the Gregg Publishing Company called upon teachers 
of shorthand to lend their aid in the construction of short- 
hand scales and tests, about four hundred responded, ex- 
pressing their willingness to try such tests and cooperate in 
their development. This was a very gratifying response, 
and would seem to indicate on the part of these teachers 
some degree of understanding of the nature and value of 
standard measures, as well as a spirit of willingness. Be- 
lieving that no more capable, intelligent, and willing body 
of judges could be found, the writer decided to invite the 
cooperation of these teachers in judging the specimens. 
The 150 additional sets were sent, for the most part, to 
shorthand teachers in the schools of certain large cities, 
notably Baltimore and Los Angeles. A few were sent to 
individuals known to be expert in shorthand. Many expres- 
sions of interest were received from the judges. A number 
reported that the work was difficult. All indications seemed 
to point to the fact that in general the judges performed 



A SCALE FOR SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 



33 



TABLE V 

Values of the 40 Specimens 



o 


T3 C 


o 
o 

«4-l f*5 


in 


Sz 
*% 






. c 


>- -C 


n 


-" 3 


->-> 3 


j_. v 


C 1 *-' 


J2 B 


2 S 


•2 <u 




U V 


3 u 


•a o 


la 


o t5 


E So 


£1 




o <u 

gta 


36 


n 


32 


218 


72.7 


27.3 


.90 


11.53 


32 


23 


177 


59. 


41. 


.34 


10.63 


23 


24 


196 


69.3 


34.7 


.58 


10.29 


24 


27 


202 


67.3 


32.7 


.66 


9.71 


27 


28 


199 


66.3 


33.7 


.62 


9.05 


28 


26 


159 


55. 


47. 


.11 


8.43 


26 


17 


161 


53.7 


46.3 


.14 


8.32 


17 


38 


150 


50. 


50. 


.00 


8.18 


38 


3 


164 


54.7 


45.3 


.18 


8.18 


3 


2 


167 


55.7 


44.3 


.21 


8.00 


2 


13 


166 


55.3 


44.7 


.20 


7.79 


13 


15 


153 


51. 


49. 


.04 


7.59 


15 


12 


176 


58.7 


41.3 


.33 


7.55 


12 


34 


150 


50. 


50. 


.00 


7.22 


34 


20 


172 


57.3 


42.7 


.27 


7.22 


20 


22 


166 


55.3 


44.7 


.20 


6.95 


22 


18 


152 


50.7 


49.3 


.03 


6.75 


18 


30 


155 


51.7 


48.3 


.06 


6.72 


30 


33 


174 


58. 


42. 


.30 


6.66 


33 


4 


176 


58.7 


41.3 


.33 


6.36 


4 


5 


170 


56.7 


43.3 


.25 


6.03 


5 


19 


152 


50.7 


49.3 


.03 


5.78 


19 


10 


157 


52.3 


47.7 


.08 


5.75 


10 


9 


159 


53. 


47. 


.11 


4.81 


9 


37 


208 


69.3 


30.7 


.75 


5.56 


37 


36 


159 


53. 


47. 


.11 


5.67 


36 


40 


179 


59.7 


40.3 


.37 


4.70 


40 


8 


159 


53. 


47. 


.11 


4.33 


8 


25 


181 


60.3 


39.7 


.39 


4.22 


25 


14 


160 


53.3 


46.7 


.12 


3.83 


14 


6 


171 


57. 


43. 


.26 


3.71 


6 


31 


152 


50.7 


49.3 


.03 


3.45 


31 


1 


154 


51.3 


48.7 


.05 


3.42 


1 


7 


157 


52.3 


47.7 


.08 


3.37 


7 


39 


152 


50.7 


49.3 


.03 


3.29 


39 


29 


161 


53.7 


46.3 


.14 


3.26 


29 


35 


173 


57.7 


42.3 


.29 


3.12 


35 


16 


153 


51. 


49. 


.04 


2.83 


16 


21 


291 


97. 


3. 


2.79 


2.79 


21 










1 o 






No. 4 



34 



A SCALE FOR SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 



their work in a most careful and intelligent manner. The 
geographical distribution of judges is also quite satisfactory,* 
representing 38 States and Canada. 

Table V gives the values of the 40 specimens of shorthand 
in terms of P. E. From inspection of this table it now be- 
came possible to select specimens in such a way that they 
would differ from one another in value by approximately 
five points, on a scale of 100 points. Thus were selected the 
sixteen specimens whose values appear on Table VI. This 

TABLE VI 

Values of Specimens Included in Scale 















CO 


















V 


a 








6 


d 


o 
o 


co 

C 

a 


co 

C 


u 


Jw 

u 




CO 

e u 

u <u 


§ 

5) 


£ 




o % 


o-d 


O 


4-1 O 


D ir> 




*55 

co 


c 

.! 

u 

Cu 


CO ■*-» 

co o; 


u © 

•9 u 


4-1 3 

tut5 

P-tX> 


y <u 

co 

U l-i 

<u b 


c 

3 
o 

s 
< 


° « 

cn S 

y i-, 

>.£ 


y 0* 
goo 

cu <« 

8J 


«u g <u 

> O £ 


V 

§8 

"3 _, 


11 


32 


218 


72.7 


27.3 


.90 


11.41 


94.13 


94 


95 


32 


23 


177 


59. 


41. 


.34 


10.51 


86.71 


87 


90 


23 


24 


196 


65.3 


34.7 


.58 


10.17 


83.90 


84 


85 


24 


27 


202 


67.3 


32.7 


.66 


9.59 


79.12 


79 


80 


27 


28 


199 


66.3 


33.7 


.62 


8.93 


73.67 


74 


75 


28 


38 


184 


61.3 


38.7 


.42 


8.31 


68.56 


69 


70 


38 


13 


198 


66. 


34. 


.61 


7.89 


65.09 


65 


65 


13 


34 


179 


59.7 


40.3 


.37 


7.28 


60.06 


60 


60 


34 


33 


212 


70.7 


29.3 


.81 


6.91 


57.01 


57 


55 


33 


9 


186 


62. 


38. 


.45 


6.10 


50.32 


50 


50 


9 


36 


201 


67. 


33. 


.65 


5.65 


46.61 


47 


45 


36 


8 


207 


69. 


31. 


.74 


5.00 


41.25 


41 


40 


8 


6 


201 


67. 


33. 


.65 


4.26 


35.14 


35 


35 


6 


35 


194 


64.7 


35.3 


.56 


3.61 


29.78 


30 


30 


35 


21 


294 


98. 


2. 


3.05 


3.05 


25.16 


25 


25 


21 


























table should be read as follows: Specimen No. 11 is con- 
sidered better than specimen No. 32 by 218 out of 300 



* Arizona, 3, Alabama, i, California, 23, Colorado, fi, Connecticut. 3, Dela- 
ware, 1, Florida, 2, Idaho, 1, Illinois, 32, Indiana, 7, Iowa, 9, Kansas, 3, Min- 
nesota, 10, Montana, 1, Maine, 8, Massachusetts, 19, Missouri, 3, Michigan, 18, 
Mississippi, 1, Maryland, 27, Nebraska, 6, New Mexico, 1, North Dakota, I, 
New Hampshire, 2, New Jersey, 13, New York, 26, Ohio, 9, Oregon, 4, Okla- 
homa, I, Pennsylvania, 19, Rhode Island, 4, South Dakota, 1, Tennessee, 1, 
Texas, 5, Vermont, 4, Virginia, 2, Washington, 8, Wisconsin, 15, Canada, 1. 
Total, 300. 



A SCALE FOR SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 35 

judges; that is, 72.7 per cent of the judges consider it better, 
or 27 .Z per cent consider it worse. By reference to the 
table it is found that 27.3 per cent of worse judgments cor- 
responds to a difference in value of .90 P. E. This, added 
to the value of No. 32 (10.51) gives No. 11 a value of 
11.41. In order to raise these values to a scale of 100 points, 
one P. E. is taken to be 8.25 points. All the values as given 
in the seventh column of the table are therefore multiplied 
by 8.25 to get the values in the eighth column. In the case 
of No. 11 this value is 94.13. The nearest whole number is 
94. The value assigned this specimen on the scale is 95. 

Specimen number 21 was written by a person who knew 
nothing of shorthand. It is clearly intended to be shorthand, 
though illegible as such. Its value is assumed to be zero. 

It may, perhaps, be noticed that the values assigned the 
specimens in Table V and Table VI vary somewhat. This fact 
requires an explanation. It is due to the fact that in the 
latter table the specimens are taken, not in the order of their 
rank, but in some of the steps one or more specimens are 
passed over. In the first table specimen 28 is compared 
with 26, and considered superior by 53 per cent of the 
judges. In the latter table 28 is compared with 38, and 
found superior by 61.3 per cent of the judges, making the 
difference in value between 28 and 38 in the latter table. 
.42 P. E., whereas in the former table their difference is the 
sum of three steps of difference, .11, .14, and .00, or .25. 

The fact of the existence of these differences might at 
first sight seem to invalidate the method. In reality the facts 
appear to justify the conclusion that the judging has in this 
case been very well done. A comparison of the values 
assigned the specimens in the two tables- will show that the 
largest variation is .31 P. E. The fact that this variation 
is so small argues the care and precision with which the 
work of the judges has been done. In any event, the varia- 
tions are so small, as they affect the scale, that they will 
not mar its practical value. In other words, the differences 



36 A SCALE FOR SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 

are so small as probably to fall below the power of human 
discernment. 

The sixteen specimens so selected were finally arranged 
for publication in the form of a scale, a copy of which, to- 
gether with a copy of the Class Record Sheet prepared for 
use with the same, is included in the appendix. Copies of 
the scale and record sheets were promptly sent to the three 
hundred teachers and others who had judged the specimens, 
with the request that they use the scale as per directions given 
on the Class Record Sheet, and report the results on a dupli- 
cate of said sheet. Such reports were secured for 1627 
cases. A study of these results is given in the Tables VII 
and VIII and Figures 4 and 5. 

The graphs indicate a normal distribution of the scores 
for speed, but a very much skewed distribution of scores 
for quality, with a marked tendency to give too many of the 
very high scores, 85, 90, and 95. This is probably due largely 
to the fact that those who have used this scale are for the 
most part persons who have not had previous training in 
the use of a quality scale. It is probable, furthermore, that 
the habit of giving grades of 90 to 95 in high schools, car- 
ries over here in spite of the scale. 

The medium scores for quality (77.4 and 81.5) show 
an improvement of only 5.3 per cent in one year's work, 
whereas the median scores for speed (45.8 and 64.4) show 
an improvement of 46.1 per cent in one year. 



A SCALE FOR SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 



37 



TABLE VII 
Quality of Pupils' Shorthand Notes 



Scale 


No. of cases 


No. of cases 


No. of cases 


Scores 


Group i 


Group 2 


Both groups 


95 


92 


75 


167 


90 


121 


89 


210 


85 


147 


129 


276 


80 


142 


82 


224 


75 


144 


74 


218 


70 


96 


43 


139 


65 


71 


26 


97 


60 


48 


19 


67 


55 


40 


15 


55 


50 


29 


17 


46 


45 


20 


15 


35 


40 


25 


18 


43 


35 


17 


8 


25 


30 


8 


4 


12 


25 


9 


4 


13 


under 25 











Total No. cases. 


1009 


618 


1627 


Median scores . . 


77.4 


81.5 





(Note. — In this and the following table Group i had 29 weeks of instruc- 
tion; Group 2, 66 weeks.) 



4 
3 3 

2- 


6 




O 



1?&F~ Z FF a5 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 

Fig. 4. Per Cent of Pupih Making Various Scores for QaaUt^j of 
Shorthand Penmanship. 162.7 Cases 



38 



A SCALE FOR SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 



TABLE VIII 

Speed of Pupils' Shorthand Notes 



Scores in 
words per min. 


No. of cases 
Group i 


No. of cases 
Group 2 


No. of cases 
Both groups 


131-140 


1 



1 

9 
5 
9 

42 

106 

196 

315 

230 

89 

4 






1 

4 

10 

28 

80 

99 

154 

150 

64 

24 

3 

1 




1 


121-130 . 


1 


111-120 


5 


101-110 


19 


91-100 

81-90 


33 
89 


71-80 

61-70 

51- 60 


141 

260 
346 


41-50 


379 


31-40 


254 


21- 30 

11-20 


92 

5 


0- 10 





Total No. of cases 

Median scores 


1009 
45.8 


618 
64.4 


1627 



fcC5.it. 0-10 




■I .1 

11-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71 SO 81-90 9H0Q . 101-110 III -l£0 IZH30 131-140 

fig. 5. Per Cent of Pupils Making Varums Scores ror Speed in Shorthand 
Penmanship, in Words per Minute. 1627 Cases. 



A SCALE FOR SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 



39 



Table IX shows the relationship between speed and quality 
of notes for 700 cases, including both first and second year 
pupils. The coefficient of correlation has been found to be 
.22 with a P. E. of .02. This may be interpreted as indicat- 
ing that the positive relationship is present, but not in any 
very marked degree. If in our high schools the improvement 
during the second year's work were as great for quality as 
for speed, the degree of relationship would probably be found 
to be considerably higher than that indicated by the co- 
efficient .22. 

TABLE IX 
Relationship Between Speed and Quality of Shorthand Notes 

Scores for Speed 







11- 


21- 


31- 


41- 


51- 


61- 


71- 


81- 


91- 


101- 


111- 






20 


30 


40 


50 


60 


70 


80 


90 


100 


110 


120 




95 




5 


15 


18 


11 


15 


14 


4 


1 


1 






90 




9 


16 


25 


29 


19 


2 


4 


3 








85 




13 


15 


38 


29 


16 


6 


6 


3 








80 




3 


24 


24 


22 


17 


4 


3 


1 






>» 


75 


1 


4 


19 


21 


17 


18 


4 


1 


2 


1 






70 


1 


5 


17 


16 


15 


4 


3 


1 








s 

n 


65 




4 


7 


9 


8 


1 




1 










60 


1 


1 


8 


4 


5 


4 




1 








& 


55 




1 


5 


6 


3 


2 


4 










en 
V 


50 




2 


5 


2 


1 




3 










§ 


45 




2 


7 


4 


1 


2 










1 


C/J 


40 
35 
30 

25 




3 
4 


7 
3 

1 
1 


4 
2 
2 


1 
1 




2 











No. of cases : 700. 
Coefficient of correlation .22. 
P. E. .02. 



VI. THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SCALE FOR 
KNOWLEDGE OF THE SYSTEM 

How shall the pupil's knowledge of the system of short- 
hand be measured? In the first effort to devise a measure 
for knowledge of the system, a collection was made of such 
questions as teachers of shorthand are accustomed to ask 
on their "examinations." The purpose was to select a few of 
such questions or exercises calling for knowledge of the 
system, and to form preliminary tests from which the diffi- 
culties or values of the several exercises might be ascertained, 
after which such of them as seemed suitable could be made 
into one or more forms of a test for knowledge of the system 
of Gregg Shorthand. After the collection was made, how- 
ever, the result was such a chaos that when an alternate plan 
suggested itself, this original plan was given up. The plan 
adopted appeared to hold out the promise of being, if not 
easier of accomplishment, certainly the more useful of the 
two. 

This second plan was to take the 1,000 commonest words 
as given in the Ayres Spelling Scale, make them up into 
preliminary vocabulary tests in shorthand, and from these, 
ascertain the difficulties or values of the 1,000 words from 
the standpoint of shorthand writing, which would make it 
possible to arrange these words in a Shorthand Scale, simi- 
lar in style to the spelling scales. 

Further consideration, however, showed the necessity for 
a revision or enlargement of this plan, for it was recog- 
nized that knowledge of shorthand includes the ability to 
write phrases as well as words. For this reason it seemed 
necessary that such a scale should include the values of 
phrases as well as words. Accordingly, the first impulse was 
to include with the 1,000 commonest words the approximately 
570 phrases given in the Manual. Investigation showed, 
however, that at least some of these were of rather infrequent 

40 



A SCALE FOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SYSTEM 41 

occurrence, and a knowledge of them, therefore, not very 
important. It was concluded that an investigation should 
be made in the effort to secure a list of the 500 most common 
phrases in actual use. Inasmuch as this investigation was 
of the same nature as that of Ayres leading to his list of 
1,000 commonest words, it may be well to describe, very 
briefly, both investigations. 

During the years 1914 and 1915 the Division of Education 
of the Russell Sage Foundation conducted a study with 
the object of developing a scale for measuring the attain- 
ment of school children in spelling. For this purpose an 
effort was made to select the commonest words in the Eng- 
lish language. This was accomplished by combining the re- 
sults of four investigations, each of which aimed at identify- 
ing the commonest words. 

These four studies were : First, Rev. J. Knowles, London, 
England, 1904, "The London Point System of Reading for 
the Blind," including a tabulation of 100,000 words from 
the Bible and various authors ; second, R. C. Eldridge, 
Niagara Falls, 1911, "Six Thousand Common English 
Words," including a tabulation of 43,989 words ; third, 
Russell Sage Foundation Monograph, 1913, "The Spelling 
Vocabularies of Personal and Business Letters, with a tabu- 
lation of 23,629 words; fourth, Cook and O'Shea, 1914, 
"The Child and His Spelling," including a tabulation of 
some 200,000 words. 

By combining these four studies, including a total of about 
368,000 words, written by more than 2,500 different persons, 
it was found possible to select a list of 1,000 words with 
the highest frequencies, which may therefore be regarded 
as the commonest words in the English language, so far as 
our information goes.* The thousand words constitute about 
92 per cent of ordinary composition. These words were 
arranged in the form of a scale and published in a mono- 
graph entitled, "Measurement of Ability in Spelling," which 



* More recently Thorndike's "Word-Book for Teachers" has been published, 
giving the 10,000 most common words, and superseding all earlier studies. 



42 A SCALE FOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SYSTEM 

has proved to be a very important contribution to the 
teaching of spelling. It is believed that the teaching of 
shorthand may be no less aided by the use of these same 
words in the form of a shorthand scale, especially since 
these words will constitute so large a part (92 per cent) of 
all that the stenographer will ever be called upon to write. 

An investigation, similar to those which were combined in 
the study just described, was made for the purpose of deriv- 
ing a list of the most common phrases in such literature as 
stenographers are accustomed to "take." The material used 
for this purpose comprised the following books : the "Legend 
of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle" from Irving's 
"Sketch Book;" "Gregg Speed Studies;" "Alice's Adven- 
tures in Wonderland," by Lewis Carroll ; "Graded Readings 
in Gregg Shorthand," by Alice M. Hunter; "The Art of 
Making a Speech;" "Gregg Shorthand Reader;" and two 
popular dictation books, containing modern business letters 
and literary matter, "Dictation Course in Business Litera- 
ture, Book I," Reigner, the H. M. Rowe Co., and Eldridge's 
"Shorthand Dictation Exercises," by the American Book 
Company. 

This body of material is estimated at approximately 
500,000 words. Much of the material may be had from 
the publishers of Gregg Shorthand in the form of expert 
notes. It was a simple matter to tabulate the phrases as 
used by the writers of these notes. The authority of the 
publisher's experts is back of the selection of the phrases. 
Otherwise there might be some difference of opinion as to 
what words should be "phrased." In the case of the material 
for which no shorthand notes are published, the plan was 
to have an expert teacher of shorthand underscore with a 
pencil the groups of words which should be phrased in 
writing. Clerical workers then went over these sheets and 
counted the phrases as underscored. 

6,418 different phrases were tabulated, with the number 
of appearances of each — a total of 41,421 phrases. Inci- 
dentally, the great importance of phrasing for success in 



A SCALE FOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SYSTEM 43 

shorthand work may be seen from the fact that there occurs 
on the average one phrase to every ten or twelve words. 

It was then discovered that by selecting from the entire 
mass of material all phrases which had been found to occur 
fourteen or more times, a list of 500 phrases was secured, 
which may with some justification be regarded as the 500 
commonest phrases in the English language, or at least in 
those forms of literature included in the investigation. Ap- 
proximately three-fifths of this material consists of business 
letters. The remainder is of miscellaneous sorts, including 
literature, newspaper editorials, extracts from addresses, and 
so forth. 

It should be noted that in counting the frequencies of the 
phrases included in the 500, the frequencies of other less 
common phrases, of which certain of these form a part, 
were added. For example, the phrase, "and have" was cred- 
ited also for all occurrences of such phrases as, "and have 
the," "and have you," etc. This was done for the reason 
that it was felt that only by so doing would the several 
phrases be given the importance that they deserve. 

Those who are acquainted with shorthand will not need 
an explanation of the fact that many combinations of words 
are included in the list which are not phrases in the ordinary 
sense of the word "phrase" as used in grammar. For the 
purpose of this investigation any group of words written 
"joined," or together, is regarded as a phrase. 

The total of the frequencies of the 500 commonest phrases 
is 32,353, out of a total of 41,421 phrases tabulated, or 78 
per cent. This means that pupils who master the 500 phrases 
will be able to write not less than 78 per cent of all phrases 
they meet, as a result of this practice alone. The fifty com- 
monest phrases have a total frequency of 16,903, or about 
41 per cent of all the phrases tabulated. 

The 1,000 commonest words and 500 commonest phrases 
were arranged in ten Vocabulary Tests, (for which see ap- 
pendix) known as C-l, C-2, . . . C-10, including 100 words 
and 50 phrases to each test. The words and phrases for the 



44 A SCALE FOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SYSTEM 

several tests were selected in a purely chance order, by 
taking for test C-l every tenth word or phrase, for C-2 the 
words and phrases next following, and in like manner for 
the other eight tests. These tests simply give the words and 
phrases in columns, with spaces opposite for the student's 
outlines. On the first page of each test will be found all 
the directions required by the teacher. 

It is believed that the material included in these ten tests 
will ultimately have great value as a body of drill material 
for the teacher's use. Inasmuch as these words make up 
approximately 92 per cent of ordinary composition, and the 
phrases 78 per cent of all phrases commonly met with, it 
will be found a very effective method of teaching, to drill 
this small body of material until thoroughly mastered by 
the pupil, so that it may be written rapidly and correctly. 
This will improve speed of writing, and will go a long way 
in securing legibility. 

In order to secure data for the calculation of the values or 
difficulties of the words and phrases, teachers of shorthand 
were invited to cooperate in the construction of the scale 
by using the tests with their classes and returning them for 
scoring and tabulation. 

In order that the tests might be scored in accordance with 
a uniform procedure, the scoring was not left to the teachers, 
but instead the teachers were requested to send in the tests 
themselves, after having scored them for their own purposes. 
The tests were given just before the close of school in June, 
1921. 2,818 tests were received, an average of 281.8 for 
each of the ten forms of the C tests. These were scored in 
accordance with the following directions : 

Standard Directions for Scoring the C Tests 

1. All words and phrases are to be scored strictly In accordance 
with the Gregg system, as per key.* 

2. Where the key gives two forms, either should be counted cor- 
rect. 

3. The dot for "h" on words like "had" may or may not be used, 
Count is correct with or without the dot. 



* The key was prepared by a committee of experts appointed by the 
Gregg publishers, and is regarded as authoritative. 



A SCALE FOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SYSTEM 45 

4. Capital letters not indicated by „ , counted wrong. 

5. Whenever the intention of the writer was correct, give full 
credit, even though the word is poorly written. This is not a test 
for quality of writing. 

6. If the word or phrase is so poorly written that you cannot be 
sure the writer had the correct thing in mind, count it wrong. 

7. Pay no attention to other marks made by teachers. Only the 
marks made in our own scoring will be counted. Use a blue pencil. 

8. The first consonant should be reasonably near the line of writ- 
ing. One-sixteenth of an inch is reasonably near. If further from 
the line of writing, count it wrong. (This rule does not apply to 
such consonants as s, x, w, h, and sh.) 

In accordance with these standard directions, three dif- 
ferent clerical helpers shared in the work of scoring tests 
C-l, C-2, C-3, C-4 and C-5, while the remaining five forms 
were all scored by a single person. The median number 
of correct responses on the first five tests was 116.4, while 
on the last five it was 117.2. This indicates a variation of 
eight-tenths of a point in the scoring of the tests by different 
persons, showing that the scoring of vocabulary tests is 
more objective than might have been supposed. This argu- 
ment is based on the assumption that the ten forms of the 
C test are of equal difficulty. Inasmuch as each form repre- 
sents a purely random selection of 150 elements from a 
list of 1,500, the assumption seems a perfectly rational one. 

A study of the following table appears to the writer to 
justify these conclusions : 

1. That the ten forms of the C tests are approximately equal in 
difficulty. 

2. That the work of different scorers is satisfactorily objective. 

3. That the number of cases is large enough to insure the relia- 
bility of the norms within three or five per cent. The extreme varia- 
tion between the medians is found between C-l and C-4, 8.5 points, 
or 5.7 per cent of the total 150 points. 



46 



A SCALE FOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SYSTEM 



TABLE X 

Number of Cases and Median Scores on the C Tests 
(2818 Cases) 



No. 


of cases in different j 
by years 


groups 


Median scores for groups who 
had studied shorthand the time 
indicated, in years. 


1 


w. 


2 


All j 


1 


VA 


2 


All groups 


C- 1 


158 


162 


45 


365 


107.2 


115.9 


115.5 


111.7 


C- 2 


144 


103 


45 


292 


110.6 


122.3 


115. 


115.3 


C- 3 


127 


85 


47 


259 


107.9 


121.5 


118.3 


115.1 


C- 4 


115 


95 


44 


254 


115. 


123.9 


122.1 


120.2 


C- 5 


138 


81 


54 


273 


114. 


125.3 


122.6 


119.5 


C- 6 


114 


79 


62 


255 


113.7 


121.2 


112.1 


115.7 


C- 7 


108 


91 


67 


266 


113.6 


124.5 


121.8 


120. 


C- 8 


108 


93 


89 


290 


111.2 


123.4 


119.4 


119. 


C- 9 


167 


79 


52 


298 


112.6 


122. 


117.5 


116. 


C-10 


133 


80 


53 


266 


112.4 


121.9 


114. 


115.4 


Avg. 
1-5 


136 


105 


47 


288 


110.9 


122. 


118.7 


116.4 


Avg. 
6-10 


126 


80 


65 


275 


112.7 


122.6 


117. 


117.2 



The distribution of ability in knowledge of the system as 
measured by the C tests is indicated on the following graph. 



PER CENT 
OF CASES 



Fig. 6. Distribution of 2818 Scores on Vocabulary Tests. 

It will be noticed that there is a scattering .9 of one per cent 
of the 2,818 cases who make scores ranging from to 60 
per cent correct responses on the C tests. From 60 to 100 



A SCALE FOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SYSTEM 4/ 

per cent or from 90 to 150 points the distribution shows 
a fairly close approximation to that of normal frequency. 

The most noticeable feature of the results found for the 
three groups who had had shorthand instruction one year, 
one and one-half years, and two years respectfully, is the 
fact that their medians show very slight differences. The 
improvement from the first year to the one and one-half 
year group is approximately 8 per cent, while from the one 
to the two year group it is only 4 per cent. The fact that 
the second year group seems to be slightly inferior to those 
who had a half year less instruction, is probably to be ex- 
plained as due to the selection of the schools tested. But 
taken with the other facts just noted, it does justify the 
conclusion that the second year of shorthand instruction 
makes very little improvement in the pupil's ability to use 
the system. 

These facts, together with the further fact that the distri- 
butions for the different groups are very similar, are shown 
by the following table of quartile points. The figures indi- 
cate percentages of correct responses. 

TABLE XI 

Quartile Points in Per Cent of Correct Responses for Groups 

Who Have Had Instruction the Number of 

Years Indicated 

1 i yr. | i% yrs. | 2 yrs. | All 

Ql I 67 I 75 I 71 I 70 

Q2 I 74 I 81 I 78 I 78 

Q3 1 81 | 86 1 84 1 84 

The similarity of the three curves is shown in Figure 
7. The writer regards the above figures, together 
with the other facts that have been presented, as satisfac- 
torily justifying the procedure which was followed in pre- 
paring the scale for knowledge of the system. This pro- 
cedure we must now describe. 

After all the test sheets had been carefully scored in 
accordance with the standard procedure already described, 
the number of incorrect responses to each of the 1,500 words 
and phrases was counted, the percentage of incorrect re- 



48 



A SCALE FOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SYSTEM 



f*rC««t 

«f 
C*»«J 



Group 1 

1312 Cases 

Instruction 1 Year 




































__J 








Group H 

948 Cases 

Inst taction liYears 




















































Group HI 
558 Cases 
Instruction 2 Years 




















































! h— 



8»low 60 60-€9 70-79 80-89 90-99 100-109 110-119 120-129 130-139 140-149 

Fig.7. Distribution of 2818 Scores on the C Tests, by Groups. 



A SCALE FOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SYSTEM 49 

sponses to each word was calculated, and from this figure 
the percentage of correct responses to each word or phrase 
was derived. Each word and phrase was then placed in 
the column of the scale (for which see appendix) to which 
its record showed it to belong. This means, therefore, that 
words or phrases found in the column marked "84" for 
example, have been found to be of such difficulty that if a 
test be made up of these words and given to a class of pupils 
who have had from one to two years of instruction in short- 
hand, the class should make a median score of approximately 
84 per cent, if it is up to "standard." 

In arranging this scale the plan used by Ay res in con- 
structing his Spelling Scale has been adopted. For an ex- 
planation of the theory underlying this type of scale the 
reader is referred to his monograph, "The Measurement of 
Ability in Spelling." The final paragraph of his discussion, 
however, applies with equal force to this scale, and is there- 
fore quoted with the change of just a few words. "In all 
such testing it must be remembered that the present scale 
. . . will become increasingly and rapidly less reliable for 
measuring purposes as the children become more accustomed 
to writing these particular words and phrases. In proportion 
as these lists are used for the purposes of classroom drill, 
the scale will become untrustworthy as a measuring instru- 
ment. Probably the scale will have served its greatest use- 
fulness in any locality when the school children have mastered 
these 1,000 words and 500 phrases so thoroughly that the 
scale has become quite useless as a measuring instrument." 
(Changes or additions are denoted by italics.) 

Inasmuch as the differences in ability between the three 
separate groups tested are so small as to be negligible, no 
differentiation is made on the scale between the norms for 
those who have had shorthand instruction one year, one and 
one-half years, or two years. The words were placed in 
their respective columns on the basis of their record in all 
three groups combined. For those who have had shorthand 
but one year the norms may be regarded as approximately 



No. 5 



50 A SCALE FOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SYSTEM 

one-half step too high. For those who have had instruction 
one and one-half or two years, the norms are probably a 
half step too low. It would be statistically possible, of 
course, to work out this scale in such a way as to make the 
slight differentiations which the data seem to show. To do 
so, however, would be to set up a foolishly elaborate statis- 
tical procedure, based on a fundamental procedure in 
collecting data which was not of so extended or per- 
fect a nature as to justify the elaboration. It 
would, furthermore, be making distinctions of such un- 
important proportions that they would be invalidated or out- 
weighed by minor variations or errors in the procedure of 
giving and scoring tests. It is felt that such elaboration 
would lay one open to a very just charge of straining at a 
gnat and swallowing a camel, particularly in view of the 
fact that the average number of cases on which each word 
was scaled was only 282. 



VII. SUMMARY 

We have seen that the measurement of shorthand ability 
involves the measurement of reading ability, speed of writing, 
quality of writing, and knowledge of the system. Accord- 
ingly we have constructed tests and scales as follows : 

1. Test A-l, Reading Ability. 

2. Tests B-l and B-2, Speed of Writing. 

3. A Measuring Scale for Gregg Shorthand Penmanship. 

4. A Scale for Measuring Knowledge of Gregg Shorthand. (The 
data for this scale were derived from the use of ten Vocabulary 
Tests, C-l to C-10.) 

From the use of these tests and scales data have been 
collected which seem to justify the following suggestions 
as to the teaching of shorthand : 

1. The scores for reading ability are too low for efficiency in 
stenographic work. More practice needs to be given in reading 
shorthand. 

2. The second year group shows an improvement of only five per 
cent over the first year group in quality of shorthand penmanship. 
This condition calls for some remedy. 

3. The question of "artistry" versus mere legibility in shorthand 
penmanship needs to be settled. After pupils have attained to a 
legible shorthand, there is little justification for spending time in 
the effort to get beauty. 

4. The one school whose results in shorthand penmanship were 
most outstanding, used the device of having students who had trouble 
in the formation of their outlines, trace them by using tracing paper, 
until they got the "swing of it." 

5. In knowledge of the system the second year group does no 
better than the first. The explanation is probably to be found in 
the lack of a definite goal and in scattered and wasted practice. 

6. Emphasis should be placed upon drill or practice with a view 
to the mastery of the 1,000 commonest words and 500 commonest 
phrases. These make up 92 per cent of the words in English com- 
position, and 78 per cent of the phrases. 

7. Many pupils fail to write words clearly, even though they have 
memorized . the rules involved. Emphasis should be placed upon 
writing correctly, rather than upon the rules of the system. 

8. Tablets containing the 1,500 words and phrases appropriately 
arranged in drill sheets, would be an effective teaching device. 

9. The data derived from the nearly 3,000 vocabulary tests, nearly 
450,000 attempts to write words and phrases, show the degree of 
accuracy to be approximately 78 per cent. More intensive practice 
on a smaller number of the most common words and phrases would 
greatly improve this record. 

51 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Ayres, Leonard P. (1915). The Measurement of Ability in Spell- 
ing. Russell Sage Foundation, New York. 

Measuring Scale for Ability in Spelling. 

A Scale for Measuring the Quality of Handwriting. 

Report. No. E 113. A Sale for Measuring the Quality of 

Handwriting. 

Bills, M. A. Methods for the Selection of Comptometer Operators 
and Stenographers. Journal of Applied Psychology. Sept., 
1921, Volume 5, pp. 275-283. 

■ A Test for Use in the Selection of Stenographers. Journal 

of Applied Psychology. Dec, 1921, Volume 5, pp. 373-377. 

Book, W. F. (1908). The Psychology of Skill: With Special 
Reference to Its Acquisition in Typewriting. University of 
Montana. Publications in Psychology: Bulletin No. 53, Psy- 
chological Series No. 1. 

Buckingham, B. R. (1913). Spelling Ability: Its Measurement 
and Distribution. Teachers College Contributions to Education, 
No. 59. 

Burgess, May Ayres (1921). The Measurement of Silent Reading. 
Russell Sage Foundation, New York. 

Eldridge, Edward H. (1909). Shorthand Dictation Exercises. 
American Book Company, New York. 

Freeman, Frank N. (1914). The Teaching of Handwriting. 
Houghton Mifflin Company, New York. 

Gregg Publishing Company, New York, publications : 
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. (Shorthand.) 
The Art of Making a Speech. (Shorthand ) 
Rip Van Winkle. (Shorthand.) 
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. (Shorthand.) 
Gregg Speed Studies. 
Graded Readings in Gregg Shorthand. 
Gregg Shorthand Reader. 
Gregg Dictionary. 
Gregg Phrase-book. 

The Vocabulary of the Gregg Shorthand Manual. 
Practice Drills in Shorthand Penmanship. 

Articles on Shorthand Penmanship published monthly in the O. 
G. A. Department of the Gregg Writer. 

Hillegas, M. B. A Scale for Measuring the Quality of English 
Composition by Young People. Teachers College Record, Vol- 
ume XIII, No. 4, 1912. 

Huey, Edmund B. (1906). The Psychology and Pedagogy of 
Reading. The Macmillan Company, New York. 

Irving's Sketch Book, Selections from. American Book Company, 
New York. 

McCall, William A. (1922). How to Measure in Education. The 
Macmillan Company, New York. 

Monroe, W. S. (1918). Measuring the Results of Teaching. Hough- 
ton Mifflin Company, New York. 

Monroe, W. S., DeVoss, J. C. and Kelly, F. J. (1917). Educa- 
tional Tests and Measurements. Houghton Mifflin Company, 
New York. 

52 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 53 



Parker, S. C. (1915). Methods of Teaching in High Schools. Ginn 
and Company, New York. 

Reigner, C. G. (1917). Dictation Course in Business. Literature, 
Book One. The H. M. Rowe Company, Baltimore. 

Rugg. H. O. (1917). Statistical Methods Applied to Education. 
Houghton Mifflin Company, New York. 

Thorndike, E. L. (1914). Educational Psychology: Briefer Course, 
Teachers College, Columbia University. 

(1913). Mental and Social Measurements. Teachers Col- 
lege. 

Handwriting. Teachers College Record. Volume XI, No. 2, 

1910. 

(1921). Word-Book for Teachers. Teachers College, Col- 



umbia University. 

Trabue, M. R. (1916). Completion-Test Language Scales. Teach- 
ers College. Contributions to Education, No. 77. 
Wilson, G. M. and Hoke, K. J. (1920). How to Measure. The 

Macmillan Company, New York. 
Yearbooks of the National Society for the study of Education : 

Fourteenth, Part I, Minimal Essentials. 

Fifteenth, Part I. Standards and Tests. 

Sixteenth, Part I. Minimal Essentials. 

Seventeenth, Part I. Economy of Time in Education. Part II. 

Measurement of Educational Products. 

The Public School Publishing Co., Bloomington, Illinois. 



VITA 

Elmer Rhodes Hoke, born at Ada, Ohio, September 16, 1892, 
attended the public elementary schools of York and Lancaster, Penn- 
sylvania, and the High School at Lewistown, Pennsylvania, graduat- 
ing in 1909. After four years he received the A.B. degree from 
Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the 
following year the A. M. degree from the same institution. A fur- 
ther course of study of three years in the Theological Seminary of 
the Reformed Church in the United States, at Lancaster, Pennsyl- 
vania, led to the B.D. degree in 1917. After two years of study in 
Johns Hopkins University he received the A. M. degree in June, 1920. 

The writer acknowledges with a deep sense of gratitude the privi- 
leges enjoyed and the benefits derived from study with the following 
teachers in the University : Professors Edward F. Buchner, Knight 
Dunlap, and A. O. Lovejoy, and Doctors David E. Weglein, Fowler 
D. Brooks, Buford Johnson, Florence E. Bamberger, and Henry 
Slonimsky. He is particularly indebted to Dr. David E. Weglein 
for suggesting this field of study, and to Professor Edward F. Buch- 
ner and Dr. Fowler D. Brooks for continual encouragement, advice 
and assistance during the progress of the work. 



54 



APPENDIX 



57 

Pupil's Score. 



A SERIES OF TESTS IN GREGG SHORTHAND 

Arranged by Elmer Hoke, A. M. 

Copyright, 1921, by the Gregg Publishing Company 



TEST A-l Reading Ability 



Published by 

THE GREGG PUBLISHING COMPANY 

285 Fifth Avenue, New York City 



Name Age 

Years Months 



Race Sex Grade. 

City State Date. . 

School Teacher 



Directions for Giving Test 

1. Distribute papers face up on the desks. Ask pupils not to open papers until the signal is given. 

2. Have pupils fill in blanks on the cover page or as many of them as may be desired. 

3. Then say: "On the inside of this folder are two letters in shorthand. Read these business 
letters, and in each case where a choice of words is given, underscore the correct word, so that the 
letter will make sense. Accuracy is as important as speed. When I say, 'Ready, start,' open your 
paper and work for three minutes, until I say, 'Stop.'" 

4. With watch in hand carefully keep the time; allow exactly three minutes, when the signal- 
"Stop" should be given and papers collected. 



58 



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38 back 

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40 under 

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46 everything 

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48 give 

49 from 

50 yours 



Teacher's Key to Gregg Shorthand 
Test A-l 

Directions for Scoring 

In scoring these tests lay the key beside the paper and 
with a red pencil make a check mark on the margin of the 
paper opposite each wrong choice if any. The words 
given in this key are the words which should be under- 
scored. If the other word is underscored, or if neither 
or both are underscored, it is counted wrong. 

Find the number of the last choice made by reference 
to the number opposite that word on this key. From 
this number deduct twice the number of wrong choices 
made. Example: Suppose the last choice made is 
"work," No. 23. And suppose two wrong choices are 
made. Twice two, or four, subtracted from 23, leaves 
19, the net number of correct choices. 

Refer to the Class Record Sheet. Make a tally mark 
in the space after the number of net choices. The accom- 
panying score may then be placed on the pupil's paper 
at the place indicated. The number of tally marks in each 
space on the Class Record Sheet may then be counted and 
extended to the second space, showing the number of 
pupils in each group. (Scores show the number of words 
read correctly per minute.) 

Send one copy of the Class Record Sheet to the 

GREGG PUBLISHING COMPANY 

285 Fifth Avenue 

New York City 

Copyright, 1921, by the Gregg Publishing Company 



61 



CLASS RECORD SHEET 

To be used with Series A Tests in Gregg Shorthand. 

City State Date 

School Teacher Grade. 



Net 
Number 

of 
Correct 
Choices 


Score 


Tallies 


No. 

of 

Pupils 


Net 
Number 

of 
Correct 
Choices 


Score 


Tallies 


No. 

of 

Pupils 


50 


167 






25 


83 






49 


163 






24 


80 






48 


160 






23 


77 






47 


157 






22 


73 






46 


153 






21 


70 






45 


150 






20 


67 






44 


147 






19 


63 






43 


143 






18 


60 






42 


140 






17 


57 






41 


137 






16 


53 






40 


133 






15 


50 






39 


130 






14 


47 






38 


127 






13 


43 






37 


123 






12 


40 






36 


120 






11 


37 






35 


117 






10 


33 






34 


113 






9 


30 






33 


110 






8 


27 






32 


107 






7 

1 


23 






31 


103 






6 


20 






30 


100 






5 


17 






29 


97 






4 


13 






28 


93 






3 


10 






27 


90 






2 


7 






26 


87 






i 

1 1 


3 







Send one copy of this sheet to the Gregg Publishing Company, New York City. 

Copyright, 1921, bv the Gregg Publishing Company 



62 

Pupil's Score 



A SERIES OF TESTS IN GREGG SHORTHAND 

Arranged by Elmer Hoke, A. M. 



TEST B-l Speed of Writing 



Published by 

THE GREGG PUBLISHING COMPANY 
285 Fifth Avenue, New York City 



Name Age 

Years Months 



Race Sex Grade. 

City State Date. . 

School Teacher 



Directions for Giving Test 

1. Distribute papers face up on the desks. Ask pupils not to open papers until the signal is given. 

2. Have pupils fill in blanks on the cover page, or as many of them as may be desired. 

3. Then say: "On the inside of this folder there is an article of 400 words. The article is printed 
both in longhand and in shorthand. When I say, 'Start,' open your papers and copy the shorthand 
as rapidly and as neatly as possible in the space left for that purpose. I will allow exactly two 
minutes. No one will be able to finish. When I say, 'Stop,' raise your pencils or pens immediately.' 

4. With watch in hand carefully keep the time; allow exactly two minutes, when the signal, 
"Stop" should be given and the papers collected. 

Copyright, 1921, by the Gregg Publishing Com 

Note.— The first page of Test B-2 is identical with this and will therefore not be given. Pages 
I, 3 and 4 of Test B-2 are given immediately following this test and Key. 



63 



Thinking I Can 



The twentieth century formulators of business ethics have builded squarely 



upon the basis that respect for the good and true begins with the pronoun of the 



first person. No man can really be true to himself who has not an abiding faith 



in himself. Here lies the chief corner stone of scientific salesmanship. The 



/ 



first important selling transaction with which one can be identified is a three- 



? 



cornered transaction. He is the salesman, purchaser, and the thing sold. For 



no salesman — and that term includes every man or woman who earns a living by 



<^ 



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^-2 /^> 



•^ 



r 



hand or head — can be a success in this life until he has succeeded in selling himself 



? 



to himself. When he has once made that confident analysis it should be easy for him 
x ^_ ^ — X ^ ^-\ ct-Q — r ' ^7 <? <^- — 



*? 



to apply the same principles to other commodities which he may offer for sale. 

/? (f* a> *~ ^ — c? -s-r ^ — ~^^^ / o — c? y y ■*- 



64 



But there may always be this difference in offering one's wares and oneself 
C - «=> c * ( f? S? — J* 



"T C 52 "^ 



~r 



for sale: in the former case the price is regulated by the law of supply and demand; 



but in the latter case the price is arbitrary. Indeed I may be an autocrat and 
C -^ — o^ ^p s~ <£? 



r 



7 



stamp whatever value I will upon myself. I may imprint my services with the 

— P ^ <y o 7^ y o +/ 



^^ 



mental trade-mark of superiority and carefully store them away against the 



*? 



hour of made-to-measure customers, or I may throw myself upon the bargain 



counter to be fingered over by the basement crowd. Every man is first great 
or small according to his own calculation. Spiritual bankruptcy is always 



cr~y 



i 



*> 



several days ahead of the sheriff. Our mental collapse is the result of a 

J* 



^ 



poor system of bookkeeping. We strike off our trial balance, having 



underscored self- liquidating liabilities, and overlooked important assets. 



r 



65 
People are willing to believe a self-helping man a going concern until he 

f - —■ £ • '*-?• — r t. ■ .^ . 

stops discounting his bills and begins to walk stoop-shouldered. Emerson said 



r 



¥* 



that the best lightning rod for self-protection is one's spine. Indeed one's 



carriage is more than an incident in his credit. Men have telltale gaits like 
thoroughbreds and truck horses. A careful banker would sooner look into 
your face than into your strong box, for if you have been serving the god 



of doubt, of personal distrust, these things are pictured in your countenance, 



and are more eloquent to the man who lends than coupon papers. 



Z <5 



A man may lack the confidence of every banker in his community and 



yet be strongly underwritten if he has the security of his own souL 



J 



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Xo. 6 



66 
Teacher's Key to Gregg Shorthand Test B-l 

In scoring Test B-l find the last word written by the pupil, and refer to the following key to find the 
number of that word. Divide by two to find the score in words per minute; mark this score on the 
pupil's paper, and tally the same on the Class Record Sheet. 

Thinking I Can 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 

The twentieth century formulators of business ethics have builded squarely 

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21^ 22 23 24 25 26 

upon the basis that respect for the good and true begins with the pronoun of the 

27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 g 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 

first person. No man can really be true to himself who has not an abiding faith 

43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 

in himself. Here lies the chief corner stone of scientific salesmanship. The 

55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 

first important selling transaction with which one can be identified is a three- 

68 69 t 70 71 72 73 74 71 76 77 78 79 

cornered transaction. He is the salesman, purchaser, and the thing sold. For 

80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 

no salesman — and that term includes every man or woman who earns a living by 

95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 

hand or head — can be a success in this life until he has succeeded in selling himself 

112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 # 122 123 124 125 126 

to himself. When he has once made that confident analysis it should be easy for 

127 128 129 130 131 > 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 

him to apply the same principles to other commodities which he may offer for sale. 

142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 

But there may always be this difference in offering one's wares and oneself 

155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 

for sale: in the former case the price is regulated by the law of supply and demand; 

172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 

but in the latter case the price is arbitrary. Indeed I may be an autocrat and 

188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 < 198 199 200 201 

stamp whatever value I will upon myself. I may imprint my services with the 

202 203 204 205 206 _ 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 

mental trade-mark of superiority and carefully store them away against the 

214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 

hour of made-to-measure customers, or I may throw myself upon the bargain 

228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 

counter to be fingered over by the basement crowd. Every man is first great 

242 243 244 # 245 246 247 248 _ < 249 250 251 252 253 

or small according to his own calculation. Spiritual bankruptcy is always several 

254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 

days ahead of the sheriff. Our mental collapse is the result of a poor system 

269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 

of bookkeeping. We strike off our trial balance, having underscored self- 

^SO^ < 281 ^ 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 

liquidating liabilities, and overlooked important assets. People are willing to 

290 291 292 293_ 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 < 301 302 303 

believe a self-helping man a going concern until he stops discounting his bills 

304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 ^ 

and begins to walk stoop-shouldered. Emerson said that the best lightning 

316 317 318 319 > 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 

*oA for self-protection is one's spine. Indeed one's carriage is more than an 

330 331 332 333 # 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 

incident in his credit. Men have telltale gaits like thoroughbreds and truck 

342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 

horses. A careful banker would sooner look into your face than into your strong 

356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 

box, for if you have been serving the god of doubt, of personal distrust, these 

371 372 > 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 

things are pictured in your countenance, and are more eloquent to the man who 

385 386 387 388 

lends than coupon papers. 

389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 . 401 402 403 

A man may lack the confidence of every banker in his community and yet be 

404 405 _ 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 

strongly underwritten if he has the security of his own soul. 

Copyright, 1921, by the Gregg Publishing Company 



67 
TEST B-2 

Eyes That See 



On board the vessel that night I met the most wonderful man of all my 



—& 



~y 



acquaintances. I cannot tell you his name for, indeed, I never knew him, and 



&V 



yet I call him the most interesting man I have ever met. He was a steerage 



passenger and had come up from the bowels of the ship after midnight to get 
a few breaths of fresh air. I found that he was a billposter for one of our great 




American circuses. He was not an educated man from the viewpoint of books, 



but he was a post graduate in the university of observation. He told me all 



about the wonderful institution — the circus. I thought I knew all about the 



£ 



~7 



-z* 



f V v C' <rr^ o 



circus. Years ago I used to get up at four o'clock in the morning and watch the 



68 
circus until it left the next morning at four. I thought I knew all about it. 



9 



v -^ 



I knew all the animals by their first names, and was on intimate terms with 



the gentleman who issued the complimentary tickets for services rendered. 




But I found out on this night that I really knew nothing about the circus. 



When this billposter told me the clock-like precision with which this great 




institution moved from one city to another; when he told me how many beeves 



-^/ 



and potatoes were required to feed all the people; the difference in pay between 



f ^ - /, 



z 



the men who drove the tent stakes and those who did the acting, how I wished 



that every boy and girl in this country might learn what I learned about ji circus 



that night from this steerage passenger. He had been all over Europe putting up 



2- 



>y f- *t 






c e 






/ 



69 
his circus bills, and everywhere he had been he had appropriated the treasures of 



the old world. At two o'clock that morning, when I allowed this billposter to go 



^~ C -^ ST7- 



^> 



back to the steerage, I declared that that night had been far more entertaining 



7 



and profitable to me than any I had spent at Harvard University. 



In bold contrast I recall the experience of a man who recently came into 

— C* ^ J <2-<r—Ls s~ C <s • ^ V^ ^"3 — 



my office in New York. He was applying for a stenographic position. 
In reply to my query as to his education and experience he said that he had 



graduated from one of our largest western universities, was a stenographer of 



2 r 



three years' experience, was thirty years of age, and desired fifteen dollars a week. 
f <c jo ^ ^y /^ /sy . ^ . 



70 
Teacher's Key to Gregg Shorthand Test B-2 

In scoring Test B-2 find the last word written by the pupil and refer to the following key to find 
the number of that word. Divide by two to find the score in words per minute; mark this score on 
the pupil's paper and tally the same on the Class Record Sheet. 

Eyes That See 

12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 

On board the vessel that night I met the most wonderful man of all my 

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 

acquaintances. I cannot tell you his name for, indeed, I never knew him, and 

30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 

yet I call him the most interesting man I have ever met. He was a steerage 

46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 

passenger and had come up from the bowels of the ship after midnight to get 

61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 

a few breaths of fresh air. I found that he was a billposter for one of our great 

79 m 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 

American circuses. He was not an educated man from the viewpoint of books, 

92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 _ 103 104 105 106 

but he was a post graduate in the university of observation. He told me all 

107 108 109 HO > 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 

about the wonderful institution — the circus. I thought I knew all about the 

120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 

circus. Years ago I used to get up at four o'clock in the morning and watch the 

137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 

circus until it left the next morning at four. I thought I knew all about it. I 

154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 > 165 166 167 168 

knew all the animals by their first names, and was on intimate terms with the 

169 170 g 171 172 173 < 174 175 176 177 178 179 

gentleman who issued the complimentary tickets for services rendered. But I 

180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 < 190 191 192 193 

found out on this night that I really knew nothing about the circus. When 

194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 ^ 202 203 204 205 206 

this billposter told me the clock-like precision with which this great institution 

207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 

moved from one city to another; when he told me how many beeves and potatoes 

222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 _ 230 231 232 233 234 335 236 

were required to feed all the people; the difference in pay between the men who 

237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 

drove the tent stakes and those who did the acting, how I wished that every boy 

253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 

and girl in this country might learn what I learned about a circus that night from 

269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278_ 279 280 281 282 

this steerage passenger. He had been all over Europe putting up his circus bills, 

283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 < 291 292 293 294 295 296 

and everywhere he had been he had appropriated the treasures of the old world. 

297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 

At two o'clock that morning, when I allowed this billposter to go back to the 

312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 . 323 324 

steerage, I declared that that night had been far more entertaining and profitable 

325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 _ 334 

to me than any I had spent at Harvard University. 

335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 

In bold contrast I recall the experience of a man who recently came into 

349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 § 360 361 362 

my office in New York. He was applying for a stenographic position. In reply 

363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 

to my query as to his education and experience he said that he had graduated 

378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 f 

from one of our largest western universities, was a stenographer of three years 

391 392 :W.i 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 

experience, was thirty years of age, and desired fifteen dollars a week. 

Copyright, 1921, by the Gregg Publishing Company 



71 
CLASS RECORD SHEET 

Copyright, 1921, by the Gregg Publishing Company 

To be used with Series B Tests in Gregg Shorthand. 

City State Date 

School Teacher Grade. 

Test used was of the Series B, Number 

This class has studied shorthand weeks 



Score 


Tally 


No. of 
Pupils 


191-200 






181-190 






171-180 






161-170 






151-160 




141-150 




131-140 






121-130 






111-120 






101-110 




91-100 






81- 90 






71- 80 




61- 70 




51- 60 




41- 50 




31- 40 






21- 30 






11- 20 


i 


0- 10 


i 



General Directions 

Tests of the Series B-l, B-2, are 
designed to measure not the quality 
of shorthand notes (for which a scale 
is being prepared) , but the speed of 
writing shorthand when the correct 
outlines are given. These tests will 
not measure the pupil's knowledge 
of the system. Other tests will be 
prepared for that purpose. 

Directions for scoring are given 
with the Teacher's Key. Find the 
last word written by the pupil. Get 
the number of this word from the 
key. Divide by two to get the score 
in words per minute. Place this score 
on pupil's paper and a tally mark 
opposite the group within which the 
score falls. When all papers have 
been scored, these tallies should be 
counted and tne total extended to 
the last column, under No. of Pupils. 



Send one copy of this sheet to the Gregg Publishing Company, New York City. 



72 



KEY TO THE TEXT OF THE 40 SPECIMENS 
OF SHORTHAND 
1. 

Bait Van Tassel was an easy, indulgent soul. He loved his daugh- 
ter better even than his pipe, and, like a reasonable man and an ex- 
cellent father, let her have her way in everything. His notable little 
wife, too, had enough to do to attend to her housekeeping and manage 
the 



// ^ // 



-<- r. J Sxs 




-A, 







r 



But it is meet I should, in the true spirit of romantic story, give 
some account of the looks and equipments of my hero and his steed 
The animal he bestrode was a broken-down plow-horse, that had 
outlived almost everything but his viciousness. He was gaunt and 
shagged, with 



( 



s 



*< 



C 



*— < =. 



(S 




73 



3. 

Oh, she too had died but a short time since. She broke a blood- 
vessel in a fit of passion at a New England peddler. There was a 
drop of comfort, at least, in this intelligence. The honest man could 
contain himself no longer. He caught his daughter and her 



J /> 



<+r 



J 



y 



^ A 




4. 

In the fullness of their revelry, they fluttered, chirping and frolick- 
ing, from bush to bush, and tree to tree, capricious from the very 
profusion and variety around them. There was the honest cock- 
robin, the favorite game of stripling sportsmen, with its loud, queru- 
lous note ; and the twittering blackbirds flying 




•^~*s 



74 



5. 

A sloop was loitering in the distance, dropping slowly down with 
the tide, her sail hanging uselessly against the mast; and, as the 
reflection of the sky gleamed along the still water, it seemed as if the 
vessel was suspended in the air. It was toward evening that Ichabod 
arrived 




How solemnly they would listen to the contents, as drawled out by 
Derrick Van Bummel, the schoolmaster, — a dapper, learned little man, 
who was not to be daunted by the most gigantic word in the diction- 
ary; and how sagely they would deliberate upon public events some 
months after they had 

(For this specimen see quality 30 on /the scale.) 

7. 

In the fullness of their revelry, they fluttered, chirping and frolick- 
ing, from bush to bush, and tree to tree, capricious from the very 
profusion and variety around them. There was the honest cock- 
robin, the favorite game of stripling sportsmen, with its loud, queru- 
lous note ; and the twittering blackbirds flying 




^ 



Ljp. 




75 



Just sufficient time had elapsed to enable each story-teller to dress 
up his tale with a little becoming fiction, and, in the indistinctness of 
his recollection, to make himself the hero of every exploit. There 
was the story of Doffue Martling, a large, blue-bearded Dutchman, 
who had nearly taken 

(For this specimen see quality 35 on the scale.) 

9. 

Your mere puny stripling, that winced at the least flourish of the 
rod. was passed by with indulgence; but the claims of justice were 
satisfied by inflicting a double portion on some little, tough, wrong- 
headed, broad-skirted Dutch urchin, who sulked and swelled and 
grew dogged and sullen beneath 

(For this specimen see quality 45 on the scale.) 

10. 

Bait Van Tassel was an easy, indulgent soul. He loved his daugh- 
ter better even than his pipe, and, like a reasonable man and an ex- 
cellent father, let her have her way in everything. His notable little 
wife, too, had enough to do to attend to her housekeeping and manage 
the 




But the thought and feeling embodied in the words of great writers 
during the so-called classic days of Greece and Rome are truly and 
splendidly alive today for the simple reason that they were alive then ; 
and are so true to the universal experience of mankind and so beau- 
tiful in (50) their expression that Time cannot touch them nor age 
wither their "infinite variety," 

(For this specimen see quality 9s on rhc scal< ■ 



76 



12. 

Then, as he wended his way, by swamp and stream and awful 
woodland, to the farmhouse where he happened to be quartered, 
every sound of nature, at that witching hour, fluttered his excited 
imagination, the moan of the whip-poor-will from the hillside ; the 
boding cry of the tree-toad, that harbinger 




-y 3 

■—5 



7Z& 



^ 



^O 



7 



13. 



Brom Bones, however, was the hero of the scene, having come to 
the gathering on his favorite steed Daredevil, a creature, like him- 
self, full of mettle and mischief, and which no one but himself could 
manage. He was, in fact, noted for preferring vicious animals, given 
to all kinds of 

(For this specimen see quality 6o on the scale.) 

14. 
Times grew worse and worse with Rip Van Winkle as years of 
matrimony rolled on. A tart temper never mellows with age, and a 
sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant 
use. For a long while he used to console himself, when driven from 
home 



r- 



iy? r 



/*-_ 
.//V 



9°-* 



a 



r 



Is 



i 



/^ /*-* 



/-*-* 



<T ^y^ 



<Tx 




77 



15. 

As he was a bachelor, and in nobody's debt, nobody troubled his 
head any more about him. The school was removed to a different 
quarter of the hollow, and another pedagogue reigned in his stead. It 
is true, an old farmer, who had been down to New York on a 



*-c 




O *^s c^ *■ 




16. 

Something, however, I fear me, must have gone wrong ; for he 
certainly sallied forth, after no very great interval, with an air quite 
desolate and chopf alien. Oh these women, these women! Could that 
girl have been playing off any of her coquettish tricks? Was her 
encouragement of the poor pedagogue 




{»u 



X- <r <2- 



' S&) ^ 




78 



17. 

Streaming files of wild ducks began to make their appearance high 
in the air. The bark of the squirrel might be heard from the groves 
of beech and hickory nuts, and the pensive whistle of the quail at in- 
tervals from the neighboring stubble-field. The small birds were 
taking their 



■ et_^ 



/*>' 



C^y <P 



Q-^, 



r 



C^ 




€ r. 



18. 
Then, as he wended his way, by swamp and stream and awful 
woodland, to the farmhouse where he happened to be quartered, 
every sound of nature, at that witching hour, fluttered his excited 
imagination, — the moan of the whip-poor-will from the hillside; the 
boding cry of the tree-toad, that harbinger 



±y 



r 




79 



19. 

His rusty mane and tail were tangled and knotted with burrs. One 
eye had lost its pupil, and was glaring and spectral, but the other 
had the gleam of a genuine devil in it. Still he must have had fire 
and mettle in his day, if we may judge from 




11 /J- 



20. 

An opening in the trees now cheered him with the hopes that the 
church bridge was at hand. The wavering reflection of a silver star 
in the bosom of the brook told him that he was not mistaken. He 
saw the walls of the church dimly glaring under the trees 



f~/ 




This story was immediately matched by a thrice marvelous adven- 
ture of Brom Bones, who made light of the Galloping Hessian as 
an arrant jockey. He affirmed that, on returning one night from the 
neighboring village of Sing Sing, he had been overtaken by this mid- 
night trooper; that he had offered 

(For this specimen see quality O on the scale.) 



80 



22. 

The schoolhouse, being deserted, soon fell to decay, and was re- 
ported to be haunted by the ghost of the unfortunate pedagogue ; and 
the plow-boy, loitering homeward of a still summer evening, has often 
fancied his voice at a distance, chanting a melancholy psalm tune 
among the tranquil solitudes of 




23. 

There are three sorts of actions : those that are good, those that 
are bad, and those that are doubtful, and we ought to be cautious of 
those that are doubtful ; for we are in most danger of these doubtful 
actions, because they do not alarm us, and yet they insensibly (50) 
lead to greater transgressions, just as the shades of twilight gradu- 
ally reconcile us to darkness. 

(For this specimen see quality 85 on the scale.) 



24. 

The opinions of this junto were completely controlled by Nicholas 
Vedder, a patriarch of the village, and landlord of the inn, at the 
door of which he took his seat from morning till night, just moving 
sufficiently to avoid the sun, and keep in the shade of a large tree 

(For this specimen see quality 80 on the scale.) 



81 



25. 
He had overheard the boast of Bones, that he would "double the 
schoolmaster up and put him on a shelf ;" and he was too wary 
to give him an opportunity. There was something- extremely pro- 
voking in this obstinately pacific system ; it left Brom no alternative 
but to draw upon the 




His schoolhouse was a low building of one large room, rudely 
constructed of logs ; the windows partly glazed, and partly patched 
with leaves of old copy-books. It was most ingeniously secured at 
vacant hours by a withe twisted in the handle of the door, and stakes 
set against the window-shutters ; 




As to Rip's son and heir, who was the ditto of himself, seen 
leaning against the tree, he was employed to work on the farm, 
but evinced an hereditary disposition to attend to anything else but 
his business. Rip now resumed his old walks and habits. He soon 
found many 

(For this specimen see quality 75 on the scale.) 



No. 7 



82 






28. 

The poor fellow was now completely confounded. He doubted his 
own identity, and whether he was himself or another man. In the 
midst of his bewilderment, the man in the cocked hat demanded who 
he was, and what was his name. "God knows !" exclaimed he, at his 
wits' end. "I'm 

(For this specimen see quality 70 on the scale.) 

29. 

Such heaped-up platters of cakes of various and almost indescrib- 
able kinds, known only to experienced Dutch housewives ! There 
was the doughty doughnut, the tender oly-koek, and the crisp and 
crumbling cruller ; sweet cakes and short cakes, ginger cakes and 
honey cakes, and the whole family of cakes ; and then there 

/ C*f 'Or* sin ~£r y ~ 
r— ~~y £*. ^7 1/ V 0^- 

30. 

There was a whisper, also, about securing the gun, and keeping 
the old fellow from doing mischief, at the very suggestion of which 
the self-important man in the cocked hat retired with some precipita- 
tion. At this critical moment a fresh, comely woman pressed through 
the throng to get a 






83 



31. 

Dame Van Winkle regarded them as companions in idleness, and 
even looked upon Wolf with an evil eye, as the cause of his mas- 
ter's going so often astray. True it is, in all points of spirit be- 
fitting an honorable dog, he was as courageous an animal as ever 
scoured the 

>2_- J- 2^^ ^ 9 ^_ 



32. 

Certain it is, the place still continues under the sway of some 
witching power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people, 
causing them to walk in a continual revere. They are given to all 
kinds of marvelous beliefs ; are subject to trances and visions ; and 
frequently 

(For this specimen see quality 90 on the scale.) 

33. 

They are like those little nooks of still water which border a rapid 
stream, where we may see the straw and bubble riding quietly at 
anchor, or slowly revolving in their mimic harbor, undisturbed by 
the rush of the passing current. Though many years have elapsed 
since I trod the 

(For this specimen see quality 50 on the scale.) 

34. 

Fain would I pause to dwell upon the world of charms that burst 
upon the enraptured gaze of my hero, as he entered the state parlor 
of Van Tassel's mansion; not those of the bevy of buxom lasses, 
with their luxurious display of red and white, but the ample charms 

(For this specimen see quality 55 on the scale.) 

35. 

He assisted the farmers occasionally in the lighter labors of their 
farms, helped to make hay, mended the fences, took the horses to 
water, drove the cows from pasture, and cut wood for the winter 
fire. He laid aside, too, all the dominant dignity and absolute sway 
with which he 

(For this specimen 6ee quality 25 on the scale.) 



84 



36. 

The gallant Ichabod now spent at least an extra half hour at his 
toilet, brushing and furbishing up his best and indeed only suit of 
rusty black, and arranging his looks by a bit of broken looking-glass 
that hung up in the schoolhouse. That he might make his appear- 
ance 

(For this specimen see quality 40 on the scale.) 

37. 

His rusty mane and tail were tangled and knotted with burrs. One 
eye had lost its pupil, and was glaring and spectral, but the other 
had the gleam of a genuine devil in it. Still he must have had fire 
and mettle in his day, if we may judge from 






38. 

"I am your father!" cried he, — "young Rip Van Winkle once, old 
Rip Van Winkle now ! Does anybody know poor Rip Van Winkle ?" 
All stood amazed, until an old woman, tottering out from among the 
crowd, put her hand to her brow, and, peering under it in his face 
for a 

(For this specimen see quality 65 on the scale.) 

39. 

These magic books- and the poetic scrawl were forthwith con- 
signed to the flames by Hans Van Ripper, who from that time for 
ward determined to send his children no more to school, observing 
that he never knew any good come of this same reading and writing. 
Whatever money the schoolmaster possessed 




85 



40. 

He was always ready for either a fight or a frolic ; had more mis- 
chief than ill will in his composition; and, with all his overbearing 
roughness, there was a strong dash of waggish good-humor at bot- 
tom. He had three or four boon companions of his own stamp, who 
regarded 




£ 



GLASS RECORD SHEET 

Copyright, 1922, by The Gregg Publishing Company 

To be used with the MEASURING SCALE I 
SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 

City State D 

School Teacher 

See other side for directions. 

This class has studied shorthand weeks. 


T)R 

ate . , 








1 


Grade 






Score for speed in words per minute 


ST 




? 

e 


>-* 
© 


to 

M 

1 

CO 

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1 

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H* 
1 

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95 


































! 




90 






































85 






































80 






































75 




































>» 


70 






































65 






































60 




































'I 


55 






































50 






































45 






































40 






































35 


1 




































30 






































25 






































under 
25 




































Totals 








































S 


end or 


le cop 


y of t 


his sr 


leet t( 


)The 


Greg 


I Pub 


lishin 


g Con 


ipany 


, New 


Yorl 


[ City 







MEASURING SCALE FOR GREGG SHORTHAND PENMANSHIP 



O 



25 



30 



35 



40 



45 



50 



55 















>- 



l^^r if 






v>. 



V 



£«^ 



c^ 






(r^. 



Mi"/"*V„ 






60 



65 



70 



75 



80 



85 



90 



95 



<i_ c ? * -^^ j 



9 i 



fs^-W 



G S C > -r J 



., ^ . ^-^ 



C^lS- 



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/ ^ <__ £_ ; „ 



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..., 


^ £ - 




, ^-" 



Arranged by Elmer Hoke, A. M. 

PubtUhcd by The Gregg Publishing Compai 

New York City 



the quality of a sample of shorthand slide it along the scale until a specimen of corresponding quality i 



87 

DIRECTIONS 

Write the following sentence on the blackboard in 
shorthand: 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 

"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought 

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 t 11 # 18 

forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, 

19 20 21 22 23 ^ 24 25 26 27 28 

and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created 

29 

equal." 

Have the pupils write this three times for practice, to 
familiarize them with the text and the shorthand. Collect 
these papers. 

See to it that all have paper and two pencils (or foun- 
tain pen). Then say: "DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING 
UNTIL I GIVE YOU THE SIGNAL TO START. 
YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES IN WHICH 
TO WRITE THE SENTENCE AS OFTEN AS YOU 
CAN. BE CAREFUL TO WRITE AS WELL AS 
YOU CAN. YOU WILL BE RATED BOTH FOR 
SPEED AND FOR QUALITY. START AND STOP 
PROMPTLY WHEN THE SIGNALS ARE GIVEN. 
ALL READY. START!" Keep the time very carefully, 
using a watch with a second-hand, allowing exactly three 
minutes. "STOP!" Collect the papers. 

The score for speed is ascertained by multiplying 29 
by the number of times the sentence has been completely 
written, adding the number of the last word written. This 
is the total number of words written and should be divided 
by three to get the score for speed in words per minute. 
Write this score in the upper right-hand corner of the paper. 

When all have been scored in this way, score the papers 
for quality by the use of the scale, writing this score under 
the score for speed. 

Enter the scores on the class record sheet by making a 
tally-mark in the square under the proper score for speed 
and opposite the score for quality. Total these scores both 
ways. 



Pupil's Score 
Total 150 
Wrong 



Right 

A SERIES OF TESTS IN GREGG SHORTHAND 

Arranged By Elmer Hoke, A. M. 



TEST C-l Vocabulary 



Published by 

THE GREGG PUBLISHING COMPANY 

New York Chicago Boston San Francisco London 



Name Age 



Years Montha 

Race Sex Grade 

City State Date 

School Teacher 

How long have you studied Gregg Shorthand? Months 



Directions for Giving Test 

1. Distribute papers face up on the desks. Ask pupils not to open papers until the signal is given. 

2. Have pupils fill in blanks on the cover page. 

3. Then say: "On the inside of this folder are 100 common words and 50 common phrases, with 
a space opposite each. You are to write in these spaces the shorthand outlines for the accompany- 
ing words and phrases. Accuracy is as important as speed. Work as fast as you can do it correctly. 
When I say, 'Ready, Start/ you may begin work. You will be given enough time to finish the work." 

4. Give the signal to begin work and collect the papers as they are finished. 

Copyright, 1921, by the Gregg Publishing Company 

Note. — The first pages of the other nine tests of the C series are identical with this, and will 
therefore not be given. Tests C-2 to C-10 follow immediately after this test, C-l. 



89 



1. me 




2. can 




3. bed 




4. not 




5. be 




6. today 




7. had 




8. live 




9. hat 




10. belong 




11. ball 




12. love 




13. some 




14. for 




15. ride 




16. spring 




17. nice 




18. soon 




19. take 




20. dear 




21. seven 




22. inside 




23. boat 




24. gold 




25. pay 





26. place 




27. every 




28. wind 




29. glad 




30. glass 




31. only 




32. Friday 




33. reach 




34. try 




35. clean 




36. these 




37. cent 




38. began 




39. stop 




40. turn 




41. date 




42. world 




43. once 




44. nothing 




45. order 




46. beside 




47. born 




48. enter 




49. speak 




50. off 





90 



51. understand 




52. office 




53. money 




54. offer 




55. wonder 




56. write 




57. broke 




58. April 




59. January 




60. doctor 




61. fifth 




62. retire 




63. proper 




64. personal 




65. company 




66. board 




67. until 




68. getting 




69. beautiful 




70. fortune 




71. department 




72. clerk 




73. destroy 




74. desire 




75. employ 





76. crowd 

1 


77. measure 




78. running 




79. information 




80. enclose 




81. statement 




82. neighbor 




83. drown 




84. illustrate 




85. common 




86. effect 




87. Christmas 




88. arrive 




89. marriage 




90. piece 




91. volume 




92. concern 




93. refer 




94. earliest 




95. expense 




96. material 




97. citizen 




98. session 




99. extreme 




100. preliminary 





91 



101. of the 




102. yours very truly 




103. I have 




104. there is 




105. of our 




106. there are 




107. and company 




108. to give 




109. five thousand 




110. to get 




111. at least 




112. we shall be 




113. of them 




114. they were 




115. we would 




116. I think 




117. I know 




118. to send 




119. under the 




120. some of the 




121. that are 




122. to meet 




123. that you 




124. to place 




125. of that 





126. to find 




127. to my 




128. we had 




129. to his 




130. have you 




131. we have not 




132. no doubt 




133. have the 




134. which was 




135. he does 




136. with regard to 




137. on it 




138. of this kind 




139. in making 




140. along the 




141. tv/o or three 




142. in which the 




143. you do not 




144. my dear sir 




145. v/e are net 




146. give us 




147. we shall take 
pleasure 




148. dear doctor 




149. might be 


150. to put 



92 
TEST C-2 



1. do 




2. see 




3. top 




4. us 




5. but 




6. look 




7. over 




8. kill 




9. child 




10. door 




11. law 




12. then 




13. if 




14. ran 




15. tree 




16. river 




17. end 




18. came 




19. Mr. 




20. west 




21. forget 


22. blue 


23. rest 


24. read 


25. large 



26. report 




27. under 




28. print 




29. with 




30. party 




31. where 




32. hour 




33. better 




34. move 




35. spell 




36. club 




37. night 




38. able 




39. walk 




40. lesson 




41. road 




42. country 




43. own 




44. ground 




45. third 




46. teach 




47. goes 




48. railroad 




49. past 




SO. true 





93 



51. follow 




52. great 




53. ready 




54. suffer 




55. tire 




56. expect 




57. feel 




58. history 




59. mean 




60. hear 




61. eight 




62. refuse 




63. judge 




64. everything 




65. quite 




66. September 




67. madam 




68. don't 




69. flight 




70. empire 




71. obtain 




72. though 




73. newspaper 




74. nearly 




75. property 





76. factory 




77. famous 




78. allow 




79. whom 




80. await 




81. perhaps 




82. weigh 




83. adopt 




84. different 




85. diamond 




86. distribute 




87. interest 




88. supply 




89. further 




90. certain 


• 


91. organize 




92. associate 




93. minute 




94. whether 




95. responsible 




96. suggest 




97. necessary 




98. secretary 




99. practical 


100. disappoint 





94 



101. in the 


102. that the 




103. from the 




104. of his 




105. have been 




106. you are. 




107. in which 




108. one of the 




109. you know 




110. to me 




111. you would 




112. if you are 




113. very much 




114. to go 




115. through the 




116. we enclose 


* 


117. in order 




118. and in 




119. we do not 




120. that will 




121. who are 




122. you will be 




123. to him 




124. to receive 




125. thank you for 





126. to have you 




127. to them 




128. we should like 




129. to serve 




130. he could 




131. who had 




132. on account of 




133. he did 




134. why not 




135. he should 




136. would not 




137. should have 




138. sometime ago 




139. it would be 




140. as it is 




141. when they 




142. they will 




143. your account 




144. please let 




145. we beg 




146. in this country 




147. we should be glad 




148. every day 




149. more or less 




150. up the 





95 
TEST C-3 



1. and 


! 


2. run 




3. he 




4. am 




5. this 




6. did 




7. must 




8. late 




9. ice 




10. yes 




11. ask 




12. house 




13. how 




14. was 




15. sick 




16. plant 




17. fall 




18. Sunday 




19. after 




20. sold 




21. happy 




22. post 




23. east 




24. fine 




25. near 





26. never 




27. most 




28. air 




29. mine 




30. upon 




31. week 




32. wife 




33. water 




34. delay 




35. poor 


1 

i 


36. seen 




37. pass 




38. gone 




39. grant 




40. half 




41. March 




42. meet 




43. before 




44. lead 




45. push 




46. happen 




47. hold 




48. unable 




49. might 




50. took 





96 



51. charge 




52. Miss 




53. omit 




54. built 




55. pair 




56. need 




57. sure 




58. cause 




59. vote 




60. size 




61. afraid 




62. district 




63. weather 




64. rate 




65. none 




66. station 




67. truly 




68. Thursday 




69. travel 




70. mayor 




71. family 




72. o'clock 




73. daughter 




74. sometimes 




75. select 





76. publish 




77. serve 




78. position 




79. arrest 




80. suppose 




81. their 




82. wear 




83. secure 




84. object 




85. together 




86. general 




87. often 




88. assist 




89. serious 




90. witness 




91. summon 




92. automobile 




93. ought 




94. distinguish 




95. beginning 




96. mere 




97. divide 




98. association 




99. proceed 




100. especially 





97 



101. to the 




102. to you 




103. of this 




104. if you 




105. in this 




106. must be 




107. with your 




108. we will 




109. to see 




110. to say 




111. to this 




112. to know 




113. when the 




114. did not 




115. dear madam 




116. and have 




117. I should 




118. as to the 




119. we must 




120. we remain 




121. will not 




122. and is 




123. to that 




124. we have been 




125. would have 





126. was the 




127. we could 




128. are you 




129. to work 




130. I don't 




131. by you 




132. so much 




133. I believe 




134. with our 




135. in connection with 




136. any one 




137. to learn 




138. this morning 




139. let me 




140. by which 




141. yes sir 




142. to speak 




143. will have 




144. railroad company 




145. we have the 




146. is in 




147. we think 




148. for him 




149. my dear Mr. 




150. upon his 





No. 8 



98 
TESTlC-4 



1. go 




2. the 




3. you 




4. good 




5. all 




6. like 




7. make 




8. let 




9. play 




10. low 




11. just 




12. year 




13. her 




14. that 




15. got 




16. cut 




17. feet 




18. show 




19. thing 




20. told 




21. noon 




22. town 




23. son 




24. cannot 




25. down 





26. found 




27. made 




28. fill 




29. became 




30. two 




31. first 




32. state 




33. round 




34. pound 




35. finish 




36. felt 




37. shut 




38. suit 




39. soap 




40. father 




41. next 




42. another 




43. know 




44. such 




45. point 




46. begun 




47. drill 




48. ticket 


! 

i 

■ i 


49. begin 




50. again 





99 



51. says 




52. who 




53. anyway 




54. center 




55. check 




56. thus 




57. least 




58. study 




59. court 




60. December 




61. uncle 




62. restrain 




63. worth 




64. chief 




65. knew 




66. attend 




67. whole 




68. spend 




69. rapid 




70. wait 




71. favor 




72. support 




73. answer 




74. declare 




75. connection 





76. represent 




77. estate 




78. field 




79. themselves 




80. wonderful 




81. imprison 




82. entertain 




83. honor 




84. provision 




85. convention 




86. tomorrow 




87. stopped 




88. difference 




89. doubt 




90. investigate 




91. official 




92. various 




93. absence 




94. consideration 




95. application 




96. senate 




97. principal 




98. career 




99. cordially 




100. annual 





100 



101. it is 




102. with the 




103. five per cent 




104. for you 




105. into the 




106. should be 




107. if the 




108. it will 




109. from you 




110. to take 




111. had been 




112. do not 




113. with us 




114. to keep 




115. for us 




116. and was 




117. at our 




118. we may 




119. we shall be glad 




120. we want 




121. about it 




122. at last 




123. we wish 




124. we regret 




125. and it is 





126. we are in 




127. who is 




128. by this 




129. we desire 




130. if it 




131. five hundred 

thousand dollars 




132. that it 




133. if not 




134. your favor 




135. in this way 




136. at the time 




137. to send you 




138. to become 




139. of what 




140. can you 




141. you could 




142. to those 




143. and not 




144. so far as 




145. we sent you 




146. is it 




147. we trust that 




148. from which 




149. shall have 




150. we receive 





101 
TEST C-5 



1. at 




2. in 




3. will 




4. little 




5. your 




6. six 




7. school 




8. big 




9. sea 




10. soft 




11. way 




12. to 




13. them 




14. his 




15. north 




16. song 




17. went 




18. Monday 




19. what 




20. best 




21. think 




22. stay 




23. help 




24. May 




25. why 





26. side 




27. said 




28. along 




29. brother 




30. they 




31. sent 




32. July 




33. cost 




34. behind 




35. hurt 




36. full 




37. easy 




38. track 




39. news 




40. anything 




41. indeed 




42. trip 




43. were 




44. many 




45. within 




46. collect 




47. army 




48. account 




49. contract 




50. inform 





102 



51. member 




52. died 




53. front 




54. prove 




55. woman 




56. sorry 




57. himself 




58. copy 




59. dozen 




60. rather 




61. royal 




62. contain 




63. perfect 




64. remain 




65. between 




66. address 




67. enjoy 




68. repair 




69. beg 




70. Mrs. 




71. does 




72. reply 




73. engage 




74. firm 




75. except 





76. term 




77. remember 




78. ledge 




79. special 




80. direction 




81. written 




82. salary 




83. promise 




84. according 




85. increase 




86. consider 




87. motion 




88. examination 




89. condition 




90. therefore 


1 


91. victim 




92. decide 




93. conference 




94. colonies 




95. difficulty 




96. receive 




97. testimony 




98. height 




99. character 




100. committee 





103 



101. and the 




102. by the 




103. it was 




104. we shall 




105. would be 




106. in our 




107. about the 




108. five cents 




109. your letter 




110. does not 




111. as well as 




112. to pay 




113. at all 




114. which will 




115. over the 




116. as soon as 




117. at this 




118. yours respectfully 




119. it will be 




120. dear Mr. 




121. among the 




122. in it 




123. he would 




124. we take 




125. and sons 





126. we are sending you 




127. at any time 




128. for that 




129. you desire 




130. if they 




131. hear from you 




132. this matter 




133. in all 




134. you want 




135. I shall be 




136. call your attention 




137. to tell 




138. which are 




139. on that 




140. for some time 




141. you're 




142. trusting that 




143. at first 




144. there will be 




145. we should be 
pleased 




146. kindly let us 




147. will you please 




148. I don't know 

! 




149. should not be 




150. with that 





104 
TEST C-6 



1. on 




2. so 




3. we 




4. ago 




5. out 




6. boy 




7. street 




8. mother 




9. day 




10. stand 




11. get 




12. I 




13. other 




14. led 




15. white 




16. winter 




17. back 




18. yet 




19. than 




20. form 




21. sister 




22. grand 




23. hard 




24. line 




25. bill 





26. kind 




27. work 




28. lost 




29. rain 




30. would 




31. mile 




32. head 




33. price 




34. around 




35. maybe 




36. fail 




37. catch 




38. watch 




39. small 




40. table 




41. four 




42. list 




43. dead 




44. morning 




45. done 




46. file 




47. pretty 




48. driven 




49. deal 




50. both 





105 



51. case 




52. change 




53. aunt 




54. rule 




55. heard 




56. young 




57. press 




58. matter 




59. act 




60. there 




61. comfort 




62. objection 




63. figure 




64. second 




65. direct 




66. public 




67. request 




68. awful 




69. trouble 




70. degree 




71. husband 




72. regard 




73. oblige 




74. final 




75. region 





76. section 




77. either 




78. claim 




79. women 




80. forward 




81. arrange 




82. visitor 




83. wreck 




84. already 




85. manner 




86. against 




87. theater 




88. particular 




89. government 




90. too 




91. estimate 




92. entitle 




93. Wednesday 




94. assure 




95. scene 




96. respectfully 




97. discussion 




98. organization 




99. separate 




100. decision 





106 



101. dear sir 




102. five dollars 




103. very truly yours 




104. in your 




105. can be 




106. of course 




107. to our 




108. of it 




109. but the 




110. if you will 




111. upon the 




112. we hope 




113. I shall 




114. who have 




115. we shall be pleased 




116. in regard to 




117. if you can 




118. before the 




119. on this 




120. for which 




121. could be 




122. it is not 




123. is that 




124. what is 




125. give you 





126. we trust 




127. I'll 




128. he can 




129. and their 




130. in fact 




131. if there 




132. to secure 




133. I should like 




134. and make 




135. it has been 




136. I could 




137. to which 




138. with this 




139. ought to 




140. if we 




141. yours sincerely 




142. we shall have 




143. B. & O. 




144. they would 




145. we wrote you 




146. less than 




147. within the 




148. in this matter 




149. that the 




150. years ago 





107 
TEST C-7 



1. a 




2. no 




3. an 




4. old 




5. time 




6. book 




7. say 




8. three 




9. eat 




10. yard 




11. home 




12. as 




13. baby 




14. lay 




15. spent 




16. stone 




17. away 




18. find 




19. its 




20. far 




21. cast 




22. outside 




23. race 


i 


24. left 




25. want 





26. life 




27. our 




28. name 




29. keep 




30. any 




31. seem 




32. story 


* 


33. become 




34. burn 




35. across 




36. set 




37. black 




38. dash 




39. war 




40. high 




41. herself 




42. people 




43. leave 




44. however 




45. body 




46. provide 




47. stole 




48. real 




49. almost 




50. heart 





108 



51. while 




52. wire 




53. capture 




54. carry 




55. inspect 




56. fair 




57. God 




58. use 




59. been 




60. tax 




61. elect 




62. pleasure 




63. sudden 




64. slide 




65. appear 




66. friend 




67. raise 




68. usual 




69. entrance 




70. prison 




71. amount 




72. escape 




73. sail 




74. terrible 




75. convict 





76. relative 




77. effort 




78. primary 




79. present 




80. although 




81. forenoon 




82. publication 




83. prepare 




84. attention 




85. feature 




86. complete 




87. improvement 




88. affair 




89. opinion 




90. pleasant 




91. accident 




92. political 




93. really 




94. relief 




95. finally 




96. agreement 




97. arrangement 




98. emergency 




99. February 




100. principle 





109 



101. on the 




102. at the 




103. to make 




104. he was 




105. may be 




106. to have 




107. of their 




108. which is 




109. this is 




110. your order 




111. do you 




112. are not 




113. could not 




114. will you 




115. let us 




116. I would 




117. we believe 




118. in that 




119. to ask 




120. I was 




121. I've 




122. it is not 




123. it has 




124. which you 




125. I want 





126. as much 




127. in your letter 




128. I do not 




129. at the same time 




130. in my 




131. if this 




132. to sell 




133. send us 




134. at any 




135. last year 




136. if it is 




137. you cannot 




138. you see 




139. ten days 




140. in the future 




141. at present 




142. who can 




143. did you 




144. this is the 




145. with its 




146. on the other hand 




147. your attention 




148. in time 




149. the order 




150. you will have 





110 
TEST C-8 



1. it 




2. now 




3. my 




4. bad 




5. may 




6. by 




7. come 




8. land 




9. sit 




10. bring 




11. much 




12. send 




13. well 




14. nine 




15. foot 




16. free 




17. paper 




18. give 




19. very 




20. gave 




21. card 




22. dark 




23. cover 




24. ship 




25. girl 





26. here 




27. more 




28. room 




29. start 




30. could 




31. even 




32. open 




33. class 




34. camp 




35. tonight 




36. stamp 




37. warm 




38. fell 




39. summer 




40. talk 




41. power 




42. ever 




43. early 




44. mind 




45. trust 




46. sight 




47. income 




48. recover 




49. brought 




50. month 





Ill 



51. also 




52. few 




53. wrote 




54. chain 




55. itself 




56. dollar 




57. teacher 




58. thought 




59. yesterday 




60. number 




61. aboard 




62. navy 




63. forty 




64. farther 




65. liberty 




66. during 




67. August 




68. complaint 




69. importance 




70. engine 




71. human 




72. since 




73. cities 




74. surprise 




75. private 





76. progress 




77. important 




78. result 




79. action 




80. prompt 




81. lose 




82. machine 




83. vessel 




84. education 




85. article 




86. search 




87. century 




88. course 




89. believe 




90. guess 




91. invitation 




92. national 




93. celebration 




94. occupy 




95. develop 




96. unfortunate 




97. reference 




98. appreciate 




99. immediate 




100. judgment 





112 



101. for the 




102. we have 




103. has been 




104. you can 




105. to do 




106. to us 




107. is not 




103. of these 




109. you may 




110. that this 




111. in his 




112. we cannot 




113. I can 




114. five hundred 
dollars 




115. to write 




116. that it is 




117. which the 




118. and are 




119. and brother 




120. after the 




121. I wish 




122. I will 




123. may have 




124. and our 




125. of my 





126. as they 




127. sincerely yours 




126. in addition 




129. at this time 




130. it would 




131. if you wish 




132. was not 




133. that it was 




134. at that 




135. to any 




136. in these 




137. by return mail 




138. at the present time 




139. that there 




140. in the past 




141. business men 




142. will you kindly 




143. f. o. b. 




144. to bring 




145. with reference to 




146. rather than 




147. your name 




148. is to be 




149. there's 




150. you will receive 





113 
TEST C-9 



1. is 




2. man 




3. up 




4. red 




5. into 




6. have 




7. hand 




8. cold 




9. lot 




10. tell 




11. call 




12. one 




13. about 




14. face 




15. blow 




16. lake 




17. put 




18. new 




19. or 




20. alike 




21. south 




22. band 




23. fire 




24 train 




25. part 





26. car 




27. when 




28. hope 




29. mail 




30. should 




31. without 




32. short 




33. horse 




34. bear 




35. tenth 




36. light 




37. unless 




38. fight 




39. above 




40. June 




41. wish 




42. held 




43. close 




44. shall 




45. extra 




46. stood 




47. bought 




48. mountain 




49. less 




50. children 





No. 9 



114 



51. return 




52. please 




53. else 




54. death 




55. always 




56. evening 




57. November 




58. person 




59. among 




60. October 




61. jail 




62. fourth 




63. instead 




64. duty 




65. enough 




66. through 




67. Tuesday 




68. auto 




69. carried 




70. visit 




71. view 




72. which 




73. known 




74. period 




75. command 





76. entire 




77. due 




78. Saturday 




79. justice 




80. attempt 




81. combination 




82. toward 




83. busy 




84. director 




85. service 




86. treasure 




87. total 




88. neither 




89. system 




90. circular 




91. accept 




92. recent 




93. folks 




94. probably 




95. circumstance 




96. majority 




97. evidence 




98. sincerely 




99. convenient 




100. recommend 





115 



101. to be 




102. will be 




103. I am 




104. we can 




105. and that 




106. of all 




107. at once 




108. on your 




109. of which 




110. of its 




111. that they 




112. as to 




113. in reply 




114. he had 




115. you will find 




116. and will 




117. any other 




118. for it 




119. can not 




120. in such 




121. of time 




122. not only 




123. the other 




124. few days 




125. on his 





126. in any 




127. the time 




128. in order that 




129. do so 




130. of those 




131. in the world 




132. and see 




133. to call 




134. cannot be 




135. to their 




136. just as 




137. he cannot 




138. I can't 




139. this will 




140. on hand 




141. for their 




142. with which 




143. five pounds 




144. to come 




145. young man 




146. the whole 


1 


147. and also 




148. I suppose 




149. they're 




150. you wish 





116 
TEST C-10 



1. she 




2. ten 




3. last 


4. of 




5. him 




G. are 




7. ring 




8. hot 




9. box 




10. five 




11. long 




12. has 




13. men 




14. miss 




15. block 




16. page 




17. each 




18. letter 




19. thank 




20. add 




21. deep 




22. game 




23. age 




24. saw 




25. still 





26. word 




27. from 




28. same 




29. eye 




30. city 




31. afternoon 




32. lady 




33. care 




34. clear 




35. sir 




36. coming 




37. clothing 




38. buy 




39. express 




40. right 




41. because 




42. church 




43. flower 




44. alone 




45. dress 




46. fix 




47. paid 




48. steamer 




49. event 




50. build 





117 



51. those 




52. picture 




53. bridge 




54. learn 




55. something 




56. plan 




57. subject 




58. nor 




59. question 




60. reason 




61. shed 




62. population 




63. throw 




64. intend 




65. fact 




66. police 




67. struck 




68. vacation 




69. loss 




70. guest 




71. election 




72. length 




73. several 




74. addition 




75. debate 





76. president 




77. include 




78. appoint 




79. gentleman 




80. whose 




81. avenue 




82. success 




83. prefer 




84. purpose 




85. injure 




86. popular 




87. mention 




88. local 




89. possible 




90. argument 




91. impossible 




92. business 




93. meant 




94. foreign 




95. issue 




96. elaborate 




97. experience 




98. athletic 




99. receipt 




100. allege 





118 



101. we are 




102. of you 




103. you will 




104. is the 




105. as the 




106. you have 




107. that is 




108. there are 




109. more than 




110. he is 




111. he will 




112. United States 




113. five thousand 
dollars 




114. on our 




115. we should 




116. as you 




117. I had 




118. respectfully yours 




119. in its 




120. five hundred 




121. than the 




122. thank you 




123. that's 




124. to it 




125. from this 





126. shall be 




127. New York City 




128. to look 




129. send you 




130. has not 




131. we find 




132. it may be 




133. and they 




134. we feel 




135. from our 




136. who was 





137. of such 


138. in this case 




139. I do 




140. under separate 
cover 




141. to believe 




142. if you do not 




143. you did 




144. for these 




145. very glad 




146. better than 


147. to furnish 


148. as follows 


149. it must be 




150. to all 





100 99 98 I 96 



94 



MEASURING SCALE FOR KNOWLEDGE OF GREGG SHORTHAND 

92 88 84 79 73 66 58 SO 42 34 27 21 le^sTe' 



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from 19 through 23 per cent; 16 means from 14 tli 
means from 10 through 13 per cent; 8 means from 



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Cop j ( >s of this M.'ah.. m:i\ \><! r.lit;iin«'d h'oin 
THE GREGG PUBLISHING 



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